Despite resistance from several student senators, the EMU will get a 6.4 percent increase in its budget for next year.
Benchmarks are the financial goals for committees funded by the incidental fee such as the EMU and the ASUO Programs Finance Committee. They indicate a percentage increase or decrease in the funds the committee received for this year.
The ASUO Student Senate spent its past two meetings approving benchmarks for each committee, and the EMU passed with the largest increase.
For the past few years, the EMU has received budget increases, and Sen. Jennifer Greenough, one of the five senators who voted against this year’s increase, said the EMU shouldn’t get such a big boost again.
The EMU spent 4.8 percent more money this year than it did last year.
Greenough said she understands there are mandated increases for the EMU, but she believes there are places where it could also cut back.
“There’s a certain level you do need to maintain service level, but you need to look at areas where you could reduce,” Greenough said. “I think there hasn’t really been a focus [on that aspect].”
The EMU asked for extra money mostly to cover mandated salary increases, which will require the EMU to pay $111,000 more next year. Other expenses include increases in postage and janitorial supplies.
Dissenting senators also worried that information about EMU staff salaries and job descriptions was not readily accessible.
Other committees such as the PFC, must provide detailed, itemized budgets and salary information. Greenough said the EMU should be doing the same and suggested attaching a rider to the benchmark that requires the EMU to provide the senate with more detailed budget information. The idea was not pursued by any senator during the meeting.
The PFC’s requested increase of 3 percent, however, passed without any debate. The PFC budgets money for all student programs on campus, and the extra money will go to cover state mandated increases as well as changes in what groups think they will need for next year.
“These numbers are just high estimates,” PFC Chair Sen. Mary Elizabeth Madden said. “They’re not set in stone.”
Sen. Serene Khader moved to approve the request by saying the Senate had already set a precedent by approving the other two benchmarks.
“Of the three [committees], programming is the most important to me,” she said.
The ADFC’s request of a 5 percent increase passed unanimously by the senators, but the ADFC and the athletic department have not completely agreed on that number.
The athletic department was asking for an additional $131,000 this year — a 12 percent increase. With a 5 percent increase in the ADFC’s budget, it will get about $52,000 more, which leaves about $80,000 the Senate must supply in order to meet their demands.
To keep the money from coming out of the incidental fee, Greenough said, the Senate is searching for other resources to offset the cost. Options discussed have been setting aside a number of season tickets in the front rows that students can purchase, or making students pay for pre-season games.
In other business, Sen. Lindsey McLean resigned from her position because she is leaving the University.