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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 12, 2004)
ASUO finance committee reviews 2004 budget rru members decided to reduce the budget of the Singapore Student Association by 78 percent By Michael A. Booth Freelance Reporter Chern Yeen Yeo nervously await ed the verdict of his organization's financial future. Yeo, a freshman and representa tive of the Singapore Student Associ ation, had just finished pitching the SSA's budget to the ASUO Programs Finance Committee. He had hoped to preserve funding for his student organization despite dwindling membership and a lack of past and current events. Members of the PFC questioned Yeo, seemingly attempting to find jus tification for the SSA's budget. How ever, Yeo conceded that "only two freshmen were new to the group," and no other new members were ex pected. He estimated that five to six members remained after graduation last year. PFC Sen. Colin Andries sympa thized with Yeo and told PFC mem bers "we want to keep them active and alive," but Andries added he could not justify maintaining a budget that had been scarcely used in the last few years. Yeo, appearing to be a little stunned from his first PFC experience, quietly accepted the second-largest funding cut of Saturday's PFC budget hearings — an 83 percent decrease in funds to a total of $75. Sen. Michelle Rose tried to encour age Yeo after the decision. "You're an awesome group; we're not denying that," she said. "I would suggest that you build from the ground up." The largest individual funding cut of the day was to the Sports and En tertainment Law Forum. No SELF representative was present at the hearing time, and PFC voted to de fund the organization. SELF'S 2003 04 budget is $326. PFC chairperson Adrian Gilmore noted that all organizations have the right to appeal the PFC's decision, provided they have new information within five days. Also receiving a large budget cut was the Westmoreland Tenant Council. The PFC cut the stipend funding for the WTC's vacant secre tary/treasurer position and some spending items were cut due to an unclear spending history. The PFC also motioned to cut the WTC's vice chairman position, but, due to a technical rule, they needed a unanimous vote. Khanh Le, the PFC's lone holdout, blocked the motion and the PFC eventually de cided on a figure of $2,381 for a de crease of 31.8 percent. In contrast to SSA, WTC and SELFs budgets, several organizations fared much better. Groups that received ad ditional funding were praised by PFC for their consistency in programming events that benefit the University as a whole, maintaining a strict budget and demonstrating a valid need for the increase. The largest recipients of budget in creases, by percentage, were the African Students Association and the Pacific Islands Club. ASA received an increase of 56 percent for a total of $1,337. PIC was budgeted $417, up 39 percent. Both organizations impressed the PFC with their history of holding educational events and attaining private sponsorship. The Sustainable Business Sympo sium received the largest monetary in crease of the day with a total of $7,668, a 27.9 percent increase. SBS Finance Officer Eduardo Nas rallah said the primary reason for the additional funding request was to be able to attract more prominent speakers to the next conference and to cover rising advertising costs. "Basically, everything this group says they're going to do, they do," Gilmore said. Among those who received mini mal changes in funding were the Malaysian Student Organization ($60 for a decrease of 11.7 percent), the Latino/a Law Student Associa tion ($269 for a 13.5 percent de crease) and the Black Law Student Association ($1,175 for an increase of 6.3 percent). Two new organizations, the Stu dent Association for Women in Ar chitecture and Family Law in Prac tice, were each granted a $300 startup budget. The Delta Graduate Student Orga nization had not completed necessary paperwork at the time of its hearing and its budget was tabled. Michael A. Booth is a freelance reporter for the Emerald. uoiin Andries PFC Senator #3 Mena Ravassipour PFC Senator #2 Khanh Le PFC Program Representative Adrian Gilmore PFC Senator #1, PFC Chair Joe Snyder PFC At-Large Toby Piering PFC Vice Chair Michelle Rose Executive Appointee PFC approves funding for nine student groups The committee doled out nearly $30,000 in funds during Thursday's meeting By Chuck Slothower News Reporter Incidental fee funds landed in the hands of nine student groups at the ASUO Programs Finance Committee meeting Thursday night. The commit tee approved group budgets totaling $29,367 during the five-hour meeting. The Criminal Law Association had its $550 budget approved by a vote of 3-1-3, despite PFC Sen. Mena Ravassipour expressing concern that the group failed to spend any of its $300 food account last year. "CLA rolled over all $300 for food last year, so how do we justify giving you $300 again?" she said. "I just don't feel comfortable giving all $300." PFC Sen. Colin Andries disagreed, saying "There is new leadership to show that the group knows where it's going." ASUO Finance Coordinator Mike Martell warned against using that as a precedent since many student groups have new leadership each year. The American Institute of Architec ture Students received a $582 budget, a slight increase over last year. "We are a growing group," said An dres Mazry, president of A1AS. "The (AIAS) supplements the education that architecture students receive here" The Association of School Psychol ogy Students, a new group of mostly doctoral students in the College of Education, received a $300 budget. PFC awarded Kultura Pilipinas a $2,407 budget a 4.8 percent decrease from last year. Hawaii Club, a group founded in the 1970s to support Hawaiian students, won a $7,105 budget a 16.1 percent in crease over last year, though less than recommended by the ASUO Executive PFC postponed a decision on the International Law Student Associa tion's budget after ASUO President Maddy Melton expressed concern that students who want their own copy of the "Oregon Review of International Law," which ILSA publishes, must pay for it in addition to funding the inci dental fee, which is the funding source for student groups. "Exec is in no way trying to de fund ILSA," ASUO Controller Sara Henderson said. "I don't think there's really any harm in postponing a budget meeting to make sure you make a well-in formed decision," ASUO Student Senate President Ben Strawn said. PFC approved a $4,089 budget for the Japanese Student Organization, a 1.3 percent increase over last year. The group hosts Japan Night and Sushi Night. The Jewish Student Union received a $6,788 budget, a 5.9 percent in crease over last year, and the European Student Association gained a 19.8 percent increase, to $381. As the meeting wound down around 10 p.m., the American Adver tising Federation/Ad Club received a $7,165 budget, a 3.9 percent increase. Contact the campus/ ~ federal politics reporter at chuckskjthower@dailyemerald.com. NUMBERS continued from page 1 Rose pointed to the racial diversity of PFC members and said it helps the group work more effectively. 'I think that's empowering to mi nority student groups," Rose said. "They see that we're not just a run of-the-mill, financially tight council that decides their future." PFC has a guideline, called a benchmark, of $4,996,813 that they can allocate this year. While PFC has some leeway in spending above the benchmark, Rose said it will keep a lid on its spending. "We're really serious about that," Rose said. Andries said part of the reason he joined PFC was that he had a less than-ideal experience with PFC last year as a member of the Student Bar Association. "It didn't seem like a friendly process to me," he said. "I wanted to make it a more congenial atmos phere for everyone." Andries added that working with students on their problems and meet ing new people is the best part of par ticipating in the budget process. "I just like working with people,* Andries said. The seven PFC members grilled 10 student groups Thursday, including the European Student Association. The ESA began its fairly typical budg et hearing by explaining its purpose. ASUO Controller Sara Henderson praised the ESA's fund-raising prowess, but her praise did not cause PFC to go easy on the group. The committee split ESA's budget into advertising expenses, office supplies, postage, printing and duplication costs and funds for a culture night. Eventually, PFC was satisfied that the group's $381 budget was fair and passed it by a vote of 6-0-1, with Gilmore abstaining, as he often does as chairman. Tve got mixed feelings about it," ESA Executive Director Slobodan Subasic said of the budget. "Before the meeting, we'd hoped for better than that." Rose said Subasic's reaction has become increasingly common due to the economy. "We're seeing more slightly disap pointed people than people who are excited about their budgets," she said. Contact the campus/ federal politics reporter at chuckslothower^dailyemerald.com. ASSAULT continued from page 1 Jennifer Hegstrom, could not be reached for comment. Williford said Siavii was on his way to Hawaii and was unavailable for comment. Oregon head coach Mike Bellotti was on a re cruiting trip and unavailable for com ment, as well. Bellotti told the Emerald in early No vember when asked what he expects of his athletes, that 'they are perfect gen tlemen and they recognize their responsibility as student-athletes.* Bellotti said student-athletes are trained on proper conduct, which in cludes discussions with lawyers, judges and police officers. "I think we have very positive peer pressure on them to do things right and live up to the responsibility," he said at the time The altercation is the second such in cident involving an Oregon football player at Taylor's in the past year. On May 11, 2003, according to a police report, then-Oregon free safety Keith Lewis punched track athlete Brandon Holliday after a brief verbal altercation. Contact the sports editor at hankhager@dailyenierald.com. Senior sports reporter Mindi Rice contributed to this report P.O. Box 3159, Eugene OR 97403 The Oregon Daily Emerald is pub lished daily Monday through Friday during the school year by the Oregon Daily Emerald Publishing Co. Inc., at the University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon.The Emerald operates inde pendently of the University with of fices in Suite 300 of the Erb Memorial Union. The Emerald is private prop erty. The unlawful removal or use of papers is prosecutable by law. 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