One of the side effects of last week’s all night negotiation session on the EMU referendum was that the Senate postponed approval of benchmarks for the Programs Finance Committee and Department Finance Committee. They are instead on tonight’s agenda, alongside benchmarks for the ACFC and the EMU Board.
That’s right, all four benchmarks are being set tonight.
This will have a number of implications, the first of which is that this evening’s meeting will most likely go much later that its posted 11:50 p.m. adjournment time. While it probably won’t be another nine hour marathon, it will be a late night.
Additionally, with the new interpretation of the growth cap in place, this will be the first time that approving the benchmarks won’t be a compartmentalized process. Now a committee’s benchmark not only depends on that individual committee’s needs and financial situation, but the needs and finances of every other committee. And with the changes in the stipend model ballooning the PFC’s budget, the stage is set for a lot of give and take … and debate.
As with last week, the Senate will be making ASUO history tonight. But making history takes time.