The ASUO Programs Finance Committee postponed a decision on the Oregon Commentator’s 2002-03 budget because the campus publication’s mission statement contained words and phrases that demonstrated a political bias.
PFC member Joe Streckert said, according to the ASUO rules in the Green Tape Notebook, no student group can be affiliated with a political party if it receives student funding.
The mission statement states that the journal provides “students with an alternative to the left-wing orthodoxy promoted by the other student publications, professors and student groups.”
The PFC board, in a unanimous decision, made a motion to strike the words “left-wing,” “political” and “conservatism” from the Commentator’s mission statement.
“I feel that their mission and goal statement is simply provocative for its own sake and not appropriate for PFC to approve,” Streckert said.
The Commentator has until Wednesday to re-submit a budget to PFC, which is barred by ASUO rules from passing a budget before it approves a mission statement.
Representatives from the Commentator said they were displeased with PFC’s decision.
“Every group on this campus has a political view. We are not aligning ourselves with any political structure. This mission statement has been approved since we started,” Commentator business manager Justin Sibley said.
OSPIRG received $120,819 Thursday for 2002-03. In 2001-02, OSPIRG was funded at $144,426 via ballot measure.
Streckert said he believed the PFC didn’t have enough information to make an accurate budget account for this academic year because OSPIRG failed to turn in its audit report for 2001-02 and did not supply any other evidence about its spending habits.
“Staff and salaries are not explicit. We do not know who makes what? How much? When did they receive their money? I would like to see more information. This is a difficult decision to make,” Streckert said.
The PFC moved to estimate OSPIRG’s funding needs at the state level for staffing and operating expenses, and then divide this estimate by the University’s expected contribution to the budget. PFC Chairwoman Mary Elizabeth Madden said she felt this method would be the best way to calculate a fair budget.
On Tuesday, MEChA members requested a nearly 15 percent increase for 2002-2003. But based on the group’s past spending habits, PFC instead voted to decrease MEChA’s budget by 0.24 percent.
PFC cut the group’s Ganas account, which funds MEChA’s middle school mentoring program, from $400 to $200. Earlier this year, the group acknowledged misspending funds from the account last year. Receipts from a June 2001 end-of-the-year Ganas party showed the group spent money on food, which is not an approved expense for the account, as well as games and a $22 set of golf balls.
During the hearing, PFC members also questioned the group’s spending from the films account, which is meant to be used for purchasing documentaries and other educational videos, video rentals, and film development costs. A receipt dated June 8, 2001, showed the group made a $117 purchase from Face the Music with some of the money from its films account.
“If I had seen (the receipt), I would never have approved it,” ASUO Accounting Coordinator Jennifer Creighton said.
Sibley, who was an ASUO controller before joining the Commentator staff, approved the purchase.
PFC kept the funding for the films account at $75, the same amount allocated for 2001-02. PFC members said they did not want to penalize the group for a mistake made by a former member.
The Minority Law Student Association received the largest increase in last week’s PFC hearings, jumping from $1,616 in 2001-02 to $2,463 for 2002-03. PFC increased funding for MLSA partly because the number of minority law students has increased. MLSA is also adding a new co-director position and expanding its events and programs.
Black Women of Achievement received the sharpest budget cut last week. PFC members voted to cut the group’s budget from $4,499 for 2001-2002 to $3,809 for 2002-2003 — a decrease of 15.34 percent. Madden said the group had significant budget rollovers in previous years, and members had asked for a funding decrease in some areas of the budget.
Hearings scheduled for Tuesday include the Interfraternity Council, Jewish Student Union and Recreation Sports. Groups scheduled for Thursday include the ASUO Women’s Center, the Student Insurgent, Project Saferide and the new Night Rideprogram. Saturday’s hearing schedule includes the University Counseling and Testing Center and the International Student Association.