The Vol. 112, Issue 06
ASUP Budget Breakdown Total:
BEACON The University of Portland’s student newspaper
Thursday October 7, 2010 www.upbeacon.net
Making sense of How
$70
the Process Works:
$200,000
Gao Na Yang Staff Writer yang11@up.edu
E
Total given to ASUP:
$32,668.93
Total given to CPB:
$59,554.15
$200,000
your dollar$ How ASUP spends your money
Gao Na Yang Staff Writer yang11@up.edu
Club that gets the most: Men’s Lacrosse, $6,500
At the beginning of every semester, each student pays a $70 student government fee that ASUP ultimately redistributes to student-run clubs and organizations. While statistics from recent years show less than
a third of UP students bother to vote in ASUP elections and that senate candidates often run unopposed, students may not realize that ASUP senators have significant power in deciding which student groups get money and how much. There are dozens of campus groups competing for ASUP money, and how they fare in the budgeting process depends partly
on how well they understand the system and know how to work it. Past treasury reports show that ASUP collects approximately $200,000 every semester. Because enrollment during recent years has increased, ASUP Treasurer Ben Thompson projects the total will increase to $210,000 in the near future.
Clubs: Who gets what and how much? Club that gets the least: Spielfriek Society, $41.97
This year, there are 61 clubs who receive funding. ASUP allots money to each club through a senator vote. Clubs given the most money: - Men’s Lacrosse: $6,500.00 - Crew Club: $5,430.00 - Mock Trial: $3,030.00 - International Club $2,502.00 - Speech and Debate: $2,500.00 Clubs given the least: - Anime Club: $97.48 - English Society: $87.00 - Association for Computing Machinery (ACM): $75.00 - Roosevelt Institute: $55.00 - Spielfriek Society: $41.97
22
23
Number of clubs that receive... over $1,000 $200-$1,000 under $200
ach budget is created one semester in advance. The process of creating and approving a budget requires a lot of time and attention to the draft and final budget, according to Thompson, who called it a ‘checks and balance system.’ After each club submits a form for funding, the treasurer speaks with club representatives to discuss the specifics of their requests. The first draft of the budget is created by the finance committee, which Thompson oversees as the chair. The draft is then sent to the senate for review and approval. “The senate has control,” Thompson said. “Because senate is ASUP, they have 100 percent of power.” The executive board – ASUP president, vice president, secretary and treasurer – cannot vote, but they are allowed to make budget requests. “We submit our requests all together as a board,” ASUP President and senior Colin Dorwart said. “We don’t have any special privileges, unfortunately.” Approval of the budget can last up to three long meetings, according to Dorwart. The treasurer presents the draft of the budget at the first meeting. No questions are asked. Senators, club representatives and all students are welcome at the two meetings that follow to ask questions and voice their opinions. Senators then motion to debate or allocate money.
under $100
5 Photos from fotolia.com
See Budget, page 3
11 Page Designed by Elizabeth Tertadian