Students wondering what the Student Association does with their Mandatory Student Activity Fee could find out at SA Senate meetings, where much of that money is managed. On Sunday in 330 Student Union, senators heard requests from student clubs in need of funds and decided how much money to give each of them.
Before that happened, though, the Senate unanimously approved three things: the minutes from its Oct. 4 meeting, the naming of the Senate Finance Committee, and the SA's recent expenditure adjustments, some of which were explained by SA Treasurer Sikander Khan.
Expenditure Adjustments
Khan took questions from SA Senators Daniel Ovadia, James Gibbons, and others who were specifically wondering about a $25,000 figure in the budget intended for improvements and replacements for the SA office's computers, a new soundboard for use during events, and any other capital purchases the SA may need to make.
"As the Senate Chair, I'm in favor of spending the $25,000 on the computers and on another soundboard," said SA Senate Chairman Darwinson Valdez in an email. "This is the advice that the Student Association received from the IT department, so they did not just randomly decide to upgrade the computers. Also, they need to upgrade the computers before it becomes a bigger problem."
Ovadia – who was part of the unanimous approval of the expenditure adjustments – requested more information from Khan about the computer purchases, which Khan is in the process of providing to the senators.
Ovadia also pointed out that the SA spent "several thousand" dollars on a brand new soundboard last year.
"I'm not trying to challenge [the purchases], but I'm trying to make sure that I'm looking after the students and that I am taking the opportunity to get all the information for the students," Ovadia said.
The new soundboard being purchased, however, will be able to handle larger, more complex shows; allow for faster setup times (reducing booking requirements); and record performances and shows, while the one purchased last year is a replacement for a smaller, cheaper soundboard only capable of handling smaller shows, according to an email to Khan from SA Senior Production Manager Chris Noll.
Finance Committee
Khan then named the Senate's Finance Committee, the body that holds club budget hearings toward the end of the year and makes financial recommendations to the Senate, and the Senate unanimously approved Khan's appointments.
The Finance Committee will consist of SISH (Special Interests, Services and Hobbies Council) Club Coordinator Adam Zimnicki, International Club Coordinator Carl Ross, People of Color Club Coordinator Anabel Casanova, Engineering Club Coordinator Dan Pastuf, On-Campus Senator Kittie Pizzutelli, and Off-Campus Senator Mohammed Makda.
"I feel that Sikander made a smart decision on the way he selected the Finance Committee…You always want to make sure that you have the representation of the coordinators because they work hand-in-hand with the clubs," Valdez said. "In addition, you always want to have at least one off-campus and one on-campus senator so that you have a good representation of the students."
Club Grant Requests
The Senate spent most of the meeting hearing requests from various clubs that needed additional money from SA. These included the Chinese Student Association, Engineers for a Sustainable World, the Kendo Club, the Filipino American SA PODER: Latinos Unidos, the Singapore SA, and the Ukrainian SA.
Each club made a proposal to the Senate, after which the Senate debated about how much money to actually give each club. The clubs were requesting monies available in three different SA lines: the club recognition line, which holds $3,000; the new and innovative programs line, which holds $12,500; and the co-sponsorship line, which holds $17,500.
Most clubs were granted what they asked for, or close to it. The Chinese Student Association was granted only $50 of the $1,000 it requested because the senators determined that the club already had enough money in its budget to fund the Miss Asia event that it is looking to hold, among other reasons.
The Kendo Club's request was tabled until the next meeting because the club members were not available to answer additional questions the senators had after a fire alarm. And the Engineers for a Sustainable World request was denied quickly because the club did not appear to speak to the Senate.
"I felt that the senators thought about their decision before just giving any money out to the clubs…The situation [with Engineers for a Sustainable World] was different because neither the club nor the club coordinator was able to attend the Senate meeting," Valdez said.
"In this instance, I believe that it should have been tabled until the next Senate meeting…I will advise [the clubs] that they should show up to the meetings because the way the senators are making their decisions is based on whether the clubs are showing up or not," Valdez continued. "I will still remind the senators that they should consider those clubs that submit their proposals on every Senate meeting."
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