Nine student groups won funding, one was defunded and one was sent packing in a quest for more information at the ASUO Programs Finance Committee meeting Monday night.
The successful groups gained budgets for 2004-2005 totaling $289,277, with the Office of Student Advocacy and the Oregon Marching Band accounting for the majority of that sum.
The biggest controversy of the night, however, arose when committee members expressed concern over the ASUO Executive’s request to fund the United States Student Association, a national political lobbying group that advocates on behalf of students on higher education issues.
The USSA originally asked for $20,000 from the University but agreed to let funding increase gradually, resulting in an executive recommendation for $7,435 to pay dues and provide for student travel to conferences. ASUO President Maddy Melton and Vice President Eddy Morales lent their support to USSA, resulting in considerable tension.
“What makes this not a partisan group,” asked PFC Sen. Colin Andries. “Why should we fund this?”
Melton responded that the USSA is a political organization but is non-partisan and does not lobby for particular candidates. Still, concerns persisted about funding a largely off-campus organization.
“When you go off-campus and you go to a federal level, we as a board really have to make sure the incidental fee is going to benefit students at the University of Oregon,” PFC Chairman Adrian Gilmore said.
Melton pointed to USSA’s effectiveness in fighting for greater spending for higher education, protecting the Pell Grant and reauthorizing the Higher Education Act as proof of its worth.
“We raised the Pell Grant from $4,000 to $4,500,” Melton said. “If that doesn’t benefit students at the University of Oregon, I don’t know what does.”
Regulations governing the incidental fee are clear that funds cannot be used to assist a particular candidate or political party, but confusion abounds regarding how they can be used in the political arena.
University President Dave Frohnmayer, in his former capacity as state attorney general, wrote an opinion paper in 1985 on the subject, which Gilmore quoted at
the meeting.
“When (the incidental fees) support advocacy outside of the university environment, in official legal or political arenas, it is more difficult to make the case … that the collective interests of the class of people paying the fees is directly benefited,” Frohnmayer wrote. “State administrators should, before approving funding for such advocacy, be satisfied that the program or activity will … serve the collective interests of students as a class.”
Frohnmayer, who has to approve PFC budgets, declined to comment, but Melton indicated that Frohnmayer supported PFC funding of the USSA.
Andries moved to defund the USSA but received no second for the motion. After more discussion, PFC decided to table the matter until it could get more information about the USSA.
“We have to have USSA come and explain some stuff,” Gilmore said.
Melton expressed frustration at PFC’s initial refusal to fund the USSA. The matter will be taken up again at PFC’s Jan. 27 meeting.
The Oregon Student Association, in contrast, had little trouble pushing its budget through PFC. The OSA, which provides legal services to students, landed a budget of $135,977, a modest 3.9 percent increase over last year.
“It’s really a visionary program,” Director of Student Advocacy Hilary Berkman said. “I don’t think many universities have the vision to help students with their own legal problems.”
The Oregon Marching Band received a $111,656 budget, an increase of 6.5 percent. Todd Zimbelman, associate director of bands, said the increase was necessary due to increased travel expenses and to compensate for the depreciation of musical instruments.
“This funding is critical to our organization,” he said.
The Philosophy Club was defunded because no one showed up to represent the group.