The Student Association Finance Board began allocating its budget of nearly $2 million for the 2008-2009 school year at Monday night's SA meeting.
While the meeting ran smoothly without major problems, some groups felt undermined by the funding they were denied.
University Union requested $540,704.18 for various programming and received $167,810.40. SA Comptroller Sacha Forgenie said the funds were denied because of excessive programming and incomplete budgets.
UU Speakers was denied all of the funding it requested because it did not provide the finance board with a list of possible speakers it would like to bring to campus, Forgenie said
"We have no idea who they'd want to bring," Forgenie said. "It would be like writing them a blank check."
UU's Bandersnatch Concert Series was also denied an extra show in October, and UU Special Events' request to hold a Laser Spectacular featuring music from Pink Floyd was also denied. UU Comedy received less than 25 percent of the funding it requested. Forgenie said this was because the group wanted to have a comedian come to the Landmark Theatre, which is a more expensive venue and inconvenient for students.
Alec Sim, SA's board of elections and membership chair, defended the finance board's decision. When SA and UU brought former Mexican President Vicente Fox to Landmark, Sim said, bussing students downtown for the event was a problem.
"Some students just get confused," he said. "You never know what's going to happen with the buses and everything."
The finance board allocated a total of $603,870.65 in programming for the fall semester and $601,554.70 in operating budgets. The operating budgets include:
WERW received no funding because it missed its budget hearing with the finance board.
A total of 10 groups missed their budget hearing, leaving them without funding for the fall semester unless they go through the appeals process. Budget appeals will take place at next Monday's SA meeting. Among the groups that missed their hearings were WERW, 20 Watts magazine, Pride Union and Groovestand. The number of groups that missed their hearings is typical for a budget season, Forgenie said.
The assembly, which voted on the finance board's decisions, passed every allocation without much debate. But one theme that troubled the assembly was the finance board's reluctance to allow growth for established organizations.
Equal Time magazine, The Out Crowd, Jerk magazine and The Student Voice each requested an increase in funding for more issues, but each was denied that funding. Forgenie said the finance board reviewed each publication's performance and decided an increase was not warranted. But many assembly members, like Helene Kahn, said the finance board should be encouraging student organizations to grow.
"If these groups want an increase I think they should have that chance," Kahn said. "We should be looking for growth for these groups and reward them for their hard work."
hdwillia@syr.edu
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