This week at the Student Senate meeting, the agenda was packed with new business and budget complaints, causing senators to meet longer than the usual three hours.
Senators approved the search committee’s recommendations for comptroller replacements, upheld the appropriation’s committees recommendations on all six complaints filed by student organizations regarding their 2005-2006 budget and passed five of the seven bills from old and new business.
Senators unanimously approved the committee’s recommendations for comptroller Zachary Cotner and assistant comptroller Thara Mathews.
Student organizations’ budgets were released last week to the public and the deadline for complaints ended last Friday.
Over the weekend, the appropriations committee met with representatives from each of the six organizations, who filed complaints against budget allocations, in total, to seven other student organizations.
Yesterday, appropriations chair Alex Prima presented the committee’s recommendations before senate.
“I appreciate the way these groups handled themselves during the complaint process,” Prima said, before breaking down each complaint.
The following organizations were denied budget reallocation: the Political Symposium, Environmental Committee, Rugby Club and the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE).
The Political Symposium’s filed a complaint against the Paintball Club, requesting that its money be reallocated to them.
Its complaint was denied on the grounds that the Paintball Club only asks for a small fraction of its budget from Student Senate compared to what they spend each year.
The Environmental Committee filed a complaint against the Racquetball Club, requesting reallocation for its Earth day program and general advertising.
The committee denied its complaint because advertisement money can be allocated through the communication committee’s budget, and is didn’t have a numerically detailed summary of the costs associated with its Earth Day event.
The Rugby Club filed a complaint against Japan Club and Amnesty International, requesting reallocation for travel expenses.
The committee denied its request because they only fund travel expenses to sports clubs for two away games, which had already been allocated.
SHPE filed a complaint against Program Council’s film committee, requesting reallocation for two speakers and a conference.
The committee denied its request because based on the non-flexible budget requested by the film committee.
The film committee’s budget is contingent on the organization’s ability to buy films in bulk, which would become more expensive if the number were reduced.
Global Committee’s complaint against the Student Activities Center was funded for $330.
YCT’s filed complaints against Amnesty International and Paintball Club, requesting reallocation for posters and copies.
It was funded $15 from Amnesty International.
YCT filed another complaint against SPECTRUM, requesting reallocation from SPECTRUM’s masquerade ball to fund for its Sept. 11 rememberance program. The committee denied its request.
Academic Committee chair Beth Tracy and Membership committee chair Mitchell London have stepped down from their positions, leaving two open chair seats to fill for the remaining semester.
Senate approved a bill funding $1,036 for the Persian Student Society’s Norooz Celebration.
In addition, senate voted to suspend the rules for four of the five new business bills, funding three in full.
Senate passed a bill to fund in full $1,600 for chairs to seat 400 people at the Strong-Miller Debate.
Senate passed a bill to fund $2,578.56 to the Cox School of Business for its International day.
Senate passed a bill to fund $745 to the department of multicultural student affairs for its end of the year banquet.
Senate denied a bill to fund $910 to Victory Campus Ministries for an ad promoting ressurection week.
Senate’s decision was based on the fact that it has advertising space available for organizations to use free of charge, upon request.
