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The Daily Northwestern Thursday, May 15, 2014
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ASG approves ‘14-‘15 budget By REBECCA SAVRANSKY daily senior staffer @beccasavransky
Associated Student Government approved the operating budget for the 2014-15 fiscal year Wednesday which proposed the addition of a need-based student leadership support fund and the reallocation of money to create a new “Wild Ideas” fund. The Wild Ideas fund, which was cut to $20,000 from its original $25,000 allotment, will allow students and student groups to request funding for new ideas and initiatives. The fund reallocated money from the 10K Initiative and the Senate Project Pool to instead create one common pool of money. The new fund was formed in an effort to create a more easily accessible way for students to request money. McCormick senior Alex Van Atta, vice president for student groups, said having two different funds created more difficulty for students requesting funding. “I think having two different sources of funding that ASG distributes just adds
another layer of bureaucracy for people to try to figure out how to navigate,” Van Atta said. “I think having one fund that is the Wild Ideas fund, that’s branded, that’s publicized consistently and has the PR course of 10K but the accessibility of the Senate Project Pool is something that I think we should just double down on the Wild Ideas Fund.” The funding proposals for the Wild Ideas Fund will first be reviewed by members of the Student Activities Resource Committee before being brought to Senate to ensure applications comply with ASG policies and goals. Additionally, Senate will have the option to defer the decision to the student body in a campuswide vote, similar to the 10K Initiative. The ASG budget committee also proposed the development of both a student leadership support fund of $10,000 and an ASG need-based fund of $4,000 to be included in the operating budget. Both funds would be need-based, and the ASG specific fund would change yearly depending on the need of the current executive board. » See SENATE, page 6
Brian Lee/Daily Senior Staffer
BUDGET BREAKDOWN McCormick senior Alex Van Atta, Associated Student Government student groups vice president, discusses the funding process at the Senate meeting Wednesday. ASG confirmed the 20142015 Operating Budget, which added funds for students with financial need and a new Wild Ideas Fund.
Photo illustration by Nathan Richards/Daily Senior Staffer
SAY NO TO PLASTIC A student fills a reusable water bottle at a water bottle filling station in Norris University Center. Members of Pura Playa, a project focused on plastic waste reduction run under Engineers for a Sustainable World, are working on an initiative to eliminate the sale of bottled water in all on-campus locations by April 2015.
Water bottle ban moves forward By OLIVIA EXSTRUM
the daily northwestern @olivesocean
A team of Northwestern students are in the process of speaking with administrators to outline future steps to take in an effort to eliminate bottled water in all on-campus locations by April 2015. The initiative, called NU Thinks Outside the Bottle, was proposed by members of Pura Playa, a project focused on plastic waste reduction run under Engineers for a Sustainable World. It is part of a national campaign that began in 2012 called Think Outside the Bottle, which focuses on eliminating bottled water from national parks. Pura Playa project manager Danielle Faden said this was an important issue because of the effect the initiative could have on the University’s overall environmental impact. “There are many specific issues related to the use of bottled water, including human rights issues,” said Faden, a Weinberg junior. “Why would we use a
product that takes three times as much water to make than is in it when we’re in a global water crisis?” Members of Pura Playa have been working on the project for about a year and a half. They said the plan details efforts to phase out the sale of bottled water over the course of the next year in addition to installing more water refilling stations across campus to better satisfy student needs. The team also spoke with Sheila Driscoll, director of business and finance, who advised the group of the need to demonstrate student support for the initiative. McCormick senior Michael Narea, co-founder and outgoing project manager of Pura Playa, said Driscoll emphasized the importance of obtaining an ASG resolution in order to encourage the administration to look into the idea. After the group spent two to three months working on drafting the ASG proposal, the resolution passed. Narea said he thought the passing of the resolution would be “a lot harder than it was.” “We’re not just doing this as our own group now,” Narea said. “We’re
representing the leaders of these student groups as well.” McCormick senior Megan Scherich, another co-founder and outgoing project manager of Pura Playa, said she saw the resolution as a huge victory for the project. “It was a really exciting step for our campaign,” she said. “It’s great to have this concrete step toward our goal. It was thrilling to have student support, and it gives us really good footing to move forward with our campaign.” Faden said moving forward, the group is planning to meet with Julie Payne-Kirchmeier, vice president of student affairs, to discuss possible contract negotiations with Coca-Cola. She said they are also in touch with other universities who have gone without bottled water, including Washington University in St. Louis, which went completely bottled water free in 2009. Faden added that the group became interested in the campaign in part because they felt it was a relatively easy step for a » See BAN THE BOTTLE, page 6
Ridesharers oppose bill that proposes new regulations By PAIGE LESKIN
the daily northwestern @paigeleskin
An Illinois state bill that would impose new regulations on rideshare businesses has been met with opposition from companies that provide the service, including Uber and Lyft. The bill calls for ordinances that would change the way rideshare vehicles, which act as alternatives to taxicabs, can operate. The Illinois House of Representatives voted on April 10 to approve the bill, which would require drivers who work more than 18 hours per week to obtain a chauffeur’s license, go through background checks and participate in vehicle safety inspections. In response, services that participate in ridesharing have reached out to users to assist them in fighting the bill. Uber, which connects riders with drivers through a smartphone application, sent out an email to its Chicago customers. It urged recipients to reach
out to their state senators and ask them to vote against the bill. “Do you like convenient, safe, affordable transit?” the e-mail said. “Don’t let the State Senate, under pressure from the taxi owners, protect the interests of the few and take away YOUR transportation options.” Lyft, another ridesharing service, also took part in encouraging users to contact Illinois senators. The company took to its blog and Twitter account to tell its customers to oppose the bill. The bill would also ban rideshare drivers from servicing loading zones and taxi stands, as well as from being hailed on the street. Uber spokesperson Lauren Altmin said the additional regulations would hurt the service. The amendments to the Ridesharing Arrangements and Consumer Protection Act, including the 18-hour-per-week limit, would drastically alter the way Uber runs, she said. “This (18-hour) short-sighted cap would force hard working drivers off
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the road and take dollars out of their pockets,” Altmin said in an email to The Daily. “In a matter of weeks, Springfield has put forth a hasty, unfair bill that is worse for consumers and only benefits the existing taxi monopoly.” Uber also created a petition on its website in an effort to show support for the service. It had garnered over 14,400 signatures as of Wednesday night. The bill also requires rideshare businesses to buy more expensive insurance coverage, which would “drive costs to consumers up, without adding additional protection for riders,” Uber said in its email. State House Rep. Michael Zalewski, disputed that rideshare users wouldn’t benefit from the regulations. He said he signed on as a sponsor of the bill in order to further monitor the operation of rideshares. “It has everything to do with providing common sense safety regulations to protect passengers,” Zalewski said. “You can’t have an industry operating in a regulatory vacuum. There needs to be
Source: Uber
NEED A LIFT? Ridesharing service Uber connects users with drivers through a smartphone app. Uber and other rideshare companies have expressed opposition toward a state bill that would impose new regulations on their operations.
some basic level of understanding about minimum regulations.” The bill is now being considered by
the Illinois Senate. paigeleskin2017@u.northwestern.edu
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