Senate approved the release of $12,579 from surplus at Wednesday night’s meeting, leaving the surplus fund at $162,423 for the rest of the year.
Special requests for the surplus money included the African Students Association’s event Inside Africa, distribution stands for the Oregon Voice, and conferences for the Native American Law Students Association and the People Of the Pacific.
NALSA wanted to attend the conference because it hopes to create an Indian law program on campus and gain support at the conference. Because the request was a large amount — $5,310 — senators were hesitant to approve the request. It eventually passed in a vote of 10-3-1.
Funding for the production of a CD for the coed a cappella group Mind the Gap was a particular point of contention and only passed after Sen. Lyzi Diamond changed her vote from opposition to support.
Campus Recycling also requested funding for 600 reusable water bottles to give away in its effort to reduce the amount of water bottles used by students, but the issue was never brought to a vote.
Sen. Demic Tipitino, the Department Finance Committee senator who is responsible for managing the budget for Campus Recycling, entertained the idea of buying the bottles at a wholesale price and then selling them to students at that price.
“It’s a good way to use money and stay fiscally responsible,” he said. “We have the unique power to get them in bulk. It’s going to cost us nothing; let’s seriously consider this.”
Senate unanimously confirmed sophomore Chris Bocchicchio to Senate Seat 13, and it approved a resolution that supported the creation of military science as an academic minor.
Sen. Tyler Griffin and two concerned students strongly opposed the resolution, but it ultimately passed with a vote of 11-3-2.
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