Bundled up in hats and scarves because of a lack of heat, the Programs Finance Committee met Tuesday night in the EMU to distribute funds to nine different groups that gathered to ask for money.
While there was triumph for more than half the groups that presented to PFC, some of the groups came away from the meeting with significant decreases in funding.
Among the groups that enjoyed an increase was the Oregon Marine Students Association, which received a grand total of $4,645 — a 30.99 percent increase over last year’s budget.
“We’re trying to get back to where we were two years ago,” said Mike Berger, the representative of OMSA present at the meeting.
Another clear winner was the Pacific Islands Club which, while forced to wait longer than expected, walked away with $300 for their first year. Being a new club, it received strong support from both the ASUO Executive and PFC.
Controversy, however, sparked when the Oregon Law Students Public Interest Fund stepped up to the plate.
OLSPIF, represented at the meeting by second-year law students Annie Mortland and Tina Ching, was repeatedly probed after the ASUO Executive discovered the word “fundraising” in the budget proposal.
The controversy arose when PFC explained it has a rule that prohibits funding expenditures for the purpose of fundraising.
“We originally were going to give them the $35 they requested,” board member Beebee Tan said. “However … if you notice, it says that OLSPIF uses approximately $25 for stationery and envelopes for fundraising purposes.”
OLSPIF organizes fundraisers — from which the money is distributed in the form of stipends to help pay off student debts — for law students who perform public interest work.
“I don’t understand why this is being brought up now,” Ching said, adding that the PFC has been supportive of OLSPIF over the past ten years.
After more than an hour of debate, with the chair of PFC even suggesting the event be tabled for the time being, the group decided to give OLSPIF part of the money requested to ensure the program’s continuation.
The ASUO Executive recommended a budget cut of 26 percent from the previous year’s budget. PFC finally passed a budget in a 4-2-1 vote, allocating OLSPIF $1,248 — a 21.41 percent decrease in funds.
Other groups that received an increase in funding from the PFC included the University of Oregon Men’s Center, which received $300. This is the first year the group requested backing.
Philosophy club UnterGang was given $332, a 10.68 percent increase from last year. Westmoreland Tenants’ Council was given $3,494, and although the group has existed for years, last year it received no PFC funds. Finally, the Unallocated Reserves received $10,000, a 100 percent increase.
Those groups that had budgets reduced included the Pre-Dental Club — which received $205, a 21.46 percent decrease — and the Oregon Future Lawyers Association, which received $3,526, a 14.65 percent decrease.