PFC avoids conflict of interest
Sen. Andries withheld his
vote on the Student Bar
Association's budget,
since he is an SBA officer
By Moriah Balingit
Freelance Reporter
Programs Finance Committee Sen.
Colin Andries excused himself from a
portion of Tuesday's PFC meeting to
represent the Student Bar Association
as its business officer and to avoid
what ASUO Sen. Ben Strawn per
ceived as a conflict of interest.
The decision over the Student Bar
Association's budget had been tabled
Jan. 22 when other PFC senators ex
pressed concern over a potential con
flict of interest because Andries had
written the budget as the SBA's busi
ness officer. To avoid the conflict, An
dries abstained from the vote.
At Tuesday7s meeting, Andries ac
cused the committee of being "almost
discriminatory" in the process be
cause it refused to give the SBA the
massive increases it was seeking.
The $9,756 allocation is a 0.7 per
cent decrease from the previous year.
The budgets of the Oregon Law
Students Public Interest Forum, the
Non-Traditional Student Union, the
Public Relations Student Society of
America, Students for Choice, Pit
Crew, Pre-Dental Club, Students for
the Ethical Treatment of Animals,
Women's Law Forum and the Out
Laws were also passed at the meeting.
OLSPIF passed its budget with rel
atively few snags. The group received
$ 1,383, a 10.8 percent increase.
The Non-Traditional Student Union
went next, and its budget of $5,065
passed unanimously with an 8.8 per
cent increase and a $214 increase from
the Executive recommendation.
"To come away with an 8.8 percent
increase is a really big benefit," NSU
Director Steven Bums said.
This year was the first year that
PRSSA sought funding from the PFC.
Its $646 budget, a 115.3 percent in
crease, includes funding to subsidize
costs for students to attend a public
relations conference in New York City.
Students for Choice received a 15.4
percent increase for its budget of $2,541.
The group plans to use the funding to
bring several speakers to campus.
The Pit Crew received a 127.7 per
cent increase for a total budget of
$1,845. The large increase created a
new stipend for the Pit Crew president
and increased community outreach ac
tivities. The representatives expressed
the need for strong leadership because
the Pit Crew is such a visible group.
The recently resurrected Pre- Dental
Club was next. The group received $266
— a 29.76 increase — to bring in speak
ers and provide other resources for stu
dents who plan to attend dental school.
SETA, currently the only animal rights
group in Eugene, received $871, a 12.5
percent increase. The budget included
$400 to fund talks by speakers about the
subject of animal exploitation.
The Women's Law Fomm received
$5,370, a 3.9 percent increase. Much
of the money will go toward commu
nity outreach, including "Dress for
Success," a program that collects old
suits for low-income women trying to
get into the workforce.
Outlaws, the law student organiza
tion that works to further the civil and
legal rights of the LGBT community,
rounded out the evening. The group
was allocated $5,227 — a 26.6 per
cent increase — for a number of con
ferences, speakers and panels.
Moriah Balingit is a freelance
reporter for the Emerald.
NEWS BRIEF
Students Senate rejects
two CSA fund requests
The Chinese Student Association
walked out of the ASIJO Student
Senate meeting Wednesday night
empty-handed after the senate re
jected two requests for surplus funds
for the group.
In the first request, CSA asked for
$1,000 to pay for various expenses
and a celebration to reward volun
teers who provided "crucial" support
to its China Night event.
Several senators expressed concern
that the event would benefit only a
small group of students, and other
senators felt that CSA should spend
the money it already has.
"I have real reservations of doing
this," Sen. Jonah Lee said. "Ifyou have
money, you can't ask for more just to
have some in the bank."
Sen. Colin Andries disagreed, say
ing "saving ahead for the future" is an
acceptable use of surplus funds.
The senate ended discussion on the
request without making a motion.
Sen. Rodrigo Moreno provided the
only dissenting vote.
The senate also refused to allocate
$500 to pay for the CSA to dry-clean
traditional Chinese clothing used at
China Night.
"We know that there has been a prof
it on this event" Sen. Jesse Harding said.
"There's no reason this group could not
have known about this expense."
CSA leaders said they tried to bring
the request to senate before China
Night but narrowly missed the dead
line. Senate Ombudsman Mike Sher
man added that CSA itemized dry
cleaning when it presented its budget
to the ASUO Programs Finance Com
mittee last year, but PFC did not ad
dress the expense.
Harding said groups must accept
responsibility for their errors.
"Our job is not to baby student
groups and bail them out when they
make mistakes," he said. "That's
how groups learn and that's how
groups grow."
— Chuck Slothower
NEWS BRIEF
Exhibit tells stories
of Tibetan exiles
"As a Tibetan and as an individual
with a great belief in justice and
peace, all I ever want would be to re
turn to the land that is historically,
politically and geographically ours
without bloodshed but through
negotiation."
These are the words of Gyalta
Chonden, a Tibetan driven from his
home in 1959. His voice echoes the
dreams of the 100,000 Tibetans
who currently live in exile, and his
story is one of many featured in the
exhibit titled "A Long Look Home
ward," stationed in the Internation
al Student Lounge this month.
Opening ceremonies of the UO
Cultural Forum-sponsored event
drew about 20 people Wednesday
night and featured Tibetan Bud
dhist Master Dzogchen Khenpo
Choga Rinpoche.
A brief stroll around the series of
banners that constitute the exhibit
gives the viewer a brief glimpse into
Tibet's beautiful and devastating his
tory. The country was forced to sub
mit to annexation by the Commu
nist Chinese government in 1950
after China's People's Liberation
Army overpowered Tibet's small
forces. Currently, Tibet is under what
some call "the crudest of military
occupation" by the People's Repub
lic of China.
Lauren Wimer Photographer
The International Student Lounge is hosting an exhibit that uses personal accounts and
pictures to tell the story of Tibetan history. “A Long Look Homeward” runs through Feb. 27.
The history printed on the banners
is accompanied by first-person ac
counts, ranging from a nun who was
imprisoned and tortured after staging
a peaceful protest in Tibet to an offi
cer in the Volunteer Freedom Force.
After the crowd viewed a documen
tary about two Canadian Tibetans in
exile, Rinpoche gave an "auspicious
blessing" in the lounge through the
ringing of a bell and chanting.
After the blessing he gave a lengthy
talk about various Tibetan topics from
Buddhism to the Tibetan Govem
ment-in-Exile. He shared a number of
tenets of Buddhist philosophy.
"For the prevent(ion) of big suffer
ings, we should accept small
sufferings. For the prevent(ion) of
small happiness we should accept big
happiness," Rinpoche said.
He also stressed that the re-estab
lishment of a sovereign Tibet will ben
efit the entire world.
"My point of view is that Tibet has
some wisdom ... (for you) if you are
Buddhist or if you are not Buddhist,"
he said.
While Rinpoche, like many other
Tibetans in exile, is optimistic about
returning to his homeland in eastern
Tibet, he fears that younger, less-reli
gious generations will create a violent
resistance.
Moriah Balingit
CAMPUS
BUZZ
Thursday
Campus Planning Committee meeting, Board
Room, 450 Lillis Business Complex, 3:30
p.m.-5 p.m.
Romance languages lecture featuring author E.
Michael Gerli on "Reading and Looking in the 'Can
cionero de Palacior 221 Friendly Hall, 5 p.m.
Poetry Slam Round 2, EMU Fishbowl, 6 p.m.
Open to University students only. Sign-up at the
EMU Cultural Forum, Suite 2.
Photo presentation by photojournalist Kurt Jensen
on “Documenting the protest movement,” 6 p.m.,
211 Allen Hall.
Reading featuring Diane Hammond, author of crit
ically-acclaimed book "Going to Bend,” UO Book
store, 7 p.m.
Visiting artist lecture featuring jeweler Bettina
Speckner, 115 Lawrence Hall, 7 p.m.
492 E. 13th 686-2458
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