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APRIL 19, 2010 n
from WOMEN’S INITIATIVE on page 1
you have actually been to Women’s Initiative events, but to me those are so much more important to me than Founders’ Day,” Murphy said, naming one of the causes competing for a larger share of the budget. “I don’t know if you know of any women who’ve been affected by domestic abuse or sexual assault, but I think that’s way more important than a party at the end of the year,” she said. Dalton, who also serves as chair of the Senate Budget Committee, defended the cuts in the original SG budget, stating that the university’s funds for a new Women’s Resource Center would cover the gap between this year’s and last year’s funding of Women’s Initiative. The Debate The administration plans to establish the Resource Center in the fall, The Eagle previously reported. Dalton argued that the purpose of that center would be to take over some of the responsibilities that currently fall to Women’s Initiative. The relationship between Queers and Allies and the GLB-
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from SG BUDGET on page 1
how are class councils supposed to do their jobs if they keep getting budget cuts year after year?” Class of 2012 Vice Presidentelect David Wolkowicz said. Comments such as these and the debate over the Women’s Initiative budget put the SG into a two-hour debate in which tempers flared and senators repeatedly asked to close debate on the budget. “We’re not just here for two hours,” Class of 2013 Senator Avi Bublick said at one point during the meeting. “It’s however long it takes to get the job done.” Major changes to the budget included a shift in funding for many organizations, including Kennedy Political Union, SG General, Women’s Initiative and AUTO.
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TA Resource Center should serve as a model for Women’s Initiative and the Resource Center, according to Dalton. But Women’s Initiative Director Sarah Brown said the organization would not be as sufficient as a club, even after the Resource Center opens. “Even when [the Resource Center staff ] are full time and fully funded, it’s vital that students have a voice in these issues because students are the ones that know about sexual assault on campus,” Brown said. “Students are the ones that know the sorts of events their peers would like to see held.” Dalton emphasized that the budget cuts brought to the table were not a punishment or “a decision made in haste.” “This is not necessarily a bad thing,” Dalton said before Sunday’s meeting. “This could be a great thing, that the university will finally be able to step up. And everyone who I’ve laid [the budget plans] out to that way has seemed to been like, ‘Oh, I understand now.’” In addition to the $23,000 originally allotted to them for
the 2010 fiscal year, Women’s Initiative had an extra $7,000 for programming this year. Therefore, the cuts in the budget proposed on Wednesday would have meant a 44 percent decrease from the total funding the organization received for 2009-2010, according to Brown. Women’s Initiative circulated petitions with 395 signatures of students against the budget cuts and letters of support from students during the meeting. One of those letters came from Chairwoman of the SG Judicial Board Erika Zois. The leaders of Women’s Initiative used e-mails and Facebook messages to encourage those on their listserv to come to the meeting and write to their senators, urging them to vote against the proposed budget cuts. Co-Directors of AU Students for Choice Amanda Pelletier and Emily Creveling also sent out e-mails urging members to support Women’s Initiative. The Outcome Women’s Initiative requested more than $50,000 in their budget proposal to the SG this spring, according to Keating.
Brown said the increase reflected their growth as an organization. “All of the money that we’ve raised to donate to charity groups has gone up,” Brown said. “The attendance at all of our events has gone up. We’ve planned more events and bigger events, and Women’s Initiative is growing. And we need a budget to grow with us.” Keating said the cuts would likely prevent Women’s Initiative from growing in the next year but that she and Brown were happy to receive $22,000 as opposed to the $17,000 allotted in Wednesday’s budget. “This is not a success by any means,” Keating said. “Our budget was still cut and we received nowhere near what we requested. But it is much better. I am leaving here much happier than I arrived and I’m glad that there are so many people who fought for hours for us to receive the extra [$5,000].”
To address the ongoing debate about Women’s Initiative, KPU Director Will Hubbard said, “In solidarity with the outstanding programming of Women’s Initiative, I would propose that the budgets of the larger organizations bare the allocations of last year to recognize the hard work that Women’s Initiative has done over the past year.” This led to a $500 decrease in KPU’s budget for next year, which in turn was given to Women’s Initiative. The issue of funding for class councils was also addressed during the meeting. The class council of 2012 received a $500 increase and the class council of 2013 received a $250 increase. The final budgets for AUTO and the Special Programming Events Commission decreased from the version proposed Wednesday. AUTO’s budget fell
from $11,000 to $8,500 from Wednesday to Sunday because questions were raised as to whether AUTO needed such a large budget. Dalton said during the debate that the Budget Committee foresees that AUTO will grow in the future and wanted to encourage growth through financial support. “The original allocation came with the belief that AUTO needed to purchase a new van,” said Taylor Yeates, programming director of AUTO. But AUTO is set up so that its funds can roll over to the next year, according to Yeates. There are actually funds of about $20,000 available for next year, he said. Additionally, the Special Programming Events Commission’s budget — previously known as
Eagle Nights — increase fell from Wednesday’s proposal because it is able to incorporate re-allocated SG money later in the year, said Adam Daniel-Wayman, senator-at-large. This allowed more money to go to other organizations such as Women’s Initiative. The revisions of the 20102011 SG budget were achieved through long hours of debate. “The Budget Committee takes everyone’s voice into account, and it’s a detriment when people come into it with closed minds and decisions already made,” Dalton said. “I think the students benefit if we have strong opinions and open minds.”
Bill 09-10-048: A Bill for the Fiscal Year 201011 Budget of the American University Student Government Whereas, Article XII, Section i, Subsection 7 of the By-Laws calls for the Chair of the Special Committee on the Budget to “present the budget to the Senate, where it shall be dealt with as a standard bill,” within two weeks of the final budget hearing; now therefore be it Enacted, that the $590,400.00 of the American University Student Government for FY 2011 be enacted as follows: I. OFFICE of the PRESIDENT a. SG General shall receive $16,500.00 b. Student Advocacy Center shall receive $2,000.00 c. Women’s Initiative shall receive $22,000.00 d. Travel Subsidy shall receive $6,000.00
II. OFFICE of the VICE PRESIDENT a. VP General shall receive $8,500.00 b. Student Union Board shall receive $175,000.00 c. Kennedy Political Union shall receive $174,500.00 d. Special Programming Events Commission shall receive $5,000.00 e. Founder’s Day shall receive $40,000.00 f. Events shall receive $10,000.00 III. OFFICE of the COMPTROLLER a. American University Transportation Organization (AUTO) General shall receive $8,500.00 b. American University Transportation Organization (AUTO) Restricted shall receive $5,000.00 c. Bike Lending shall receive $3,000.00 IV. OFFICE of the SECRETARY a. Department of Publicity and Recruitment (DOPAR) shall receive $15,250.00
You can reach this staff writer at sparnass@theeagleonline. com.
SAMMY regains charter after 7 years By SARAH RUDNICK Eagle Staff Writer AU fraternity Sigma Alpha Mu was re-chartered on Saturday, according to SAMMY President Chase Freeman. SAMMY originally lost its charter in 2003 for administrative noncompliance and alcohol violations after a period of probation by AU, The Eagle previously reported. SAMMY’s national headquarters suspended its national charter during the 2002-2003 academic year. Even without campus legitimacy, the group continued operating successfully as an unofficial fraternity for the past seven years. After regaining campus and national recognition as a colony, SAMMY was able to fulfill its requirements and quickly regain fullfledged chapter status. In order to receive charter, a colony must fulfill requirements laid out by AU, the Inter-Fraternity Council and its national headquarters, according to IFC Public Relations Chair Adam Tager. The process, which usually takes about two years, happened quickly for SAMMY because they have continued to be a functioning organization, albeit an unsanctioned one, he said. However, the IFC welcomes SAMMY
back onto campus. “We are always happy to welcome more greeks onto campus as official [organizations],” Tager stated. A ceremony, involving members of SAMMY’s national headquarters and SAMMY alumni, reestablished the organization as an official fraternity chapter, Freeman said. SAMMY pledges were also initiated as brothers. “It was an honor to bring it back on campus and be a part of the national organization,” he said. “Everyone was really excited.” Now that SAMMY has received its charter, it will focus on expansion, but will be selective about future brothers, Freeman said. “We want to get some new quality guys,” he explained. “Quality over quantity. We want to grow, but only if it’s going to benefit our fraternity.” The brothers are looking forward to being able to being more involved in the greek community and in participating in alumni, D.C. and campus events. Freeman said SAMMY didn’t do anything out-of-the ordinary to celebrate receiving its second charter. “Just had a good time, as always,” he said. You can reach this staff writer at srudnick@theeagleonline.com.
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You can reach this staff writer at amooney@theeagleonline. com.
V. SCHOOL COUNCILS a. College of Arts and Sciences shall receive $150.00 b. School of International Service shall receive $2,000.00 c. School of Public Affairs shall receive $750.00 d. School of Communications shall receive $1,000.00 e. Undergraduate Business Association shall receive $2,000.00 VI. CLASS COUNCILS a. Class of 2011 shall receive $11,000.00 b. Class of 2012 shall receive $1,000.00 c. Class of 2013 shall receive $750.00 d. Class of 2014 shall receive $500.00
50 OFF 50 OFF c
c
With purchase of any drink With this coupon. Not valid with other offers. Expires 4-16-2010.
VII. MISCELLANEOUS a. SG Payroll shall receive $74,000.00 b. Capital Maintenance shall receive $6,000.00
With purchase of any drink With this coupon. Not valid with other offers. Expires 4-30-2010.
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Thousands protest at Tea Party rally
AARON BERKOVICH / THE EAGLE
DEATH BY TAXES — Protestors take a few minutes to rest at the National Mall during Thursday’s Tax Day Tea Party rally. AU College Republicans were among the thousands of people gathered near the Washington Monument.
By JOSEPH KELLY Eagle Contributing Writer Several AU students were among a crowd of a few thousand Thursday when, for the second year in a row, the National Tea Party held a rally on Tax Day to protest what they see as a growing federal government and its bad economic decisions. The AU College Republicans, among other students, gathered between the White House and the Wash-
ington Monument to join the protesters in waving various flags including both traditional American flags and politically-charged flags. Protesters waved the Gadsden “Don’t Tread On Me” flag — a yellow flag with a rattlesnake design named for Revolutionary War Colonel Christopher Gadsden that served as one of the U.S. Marine Corps’ early flags — and the “New American Revolution” flag, a thirteen-star flag with the Roman numeral “II” in the middle. “The main reason we’re here is that
Congress is spending money that we don’t have and refuses to acknowledge that fact,” said Paul Bencivenga, a freshman in the School of International Service and a member of the College Republicans. Other protesters included former members of the military, supporters of people running for office on the Tea Party platform and even a man dressed up in a tar-and-feathers body suit and an elaborate mask combining features of President Barack Obama, the Joker and Fidel Castro. College Republicans President Michael Monrroy, a junior in the School of Public Affairs, said he was concerned with what he saw as an overextended and irresponsible federal government. Monrroy said he believes there is a trend that the government is not listening to the people. He cited the recent health care debate as evidence. “If people don’t speak out against it, it’s just going to continue to hurt our country,” he said. Monrroy also said the government should return to the Constitution’s basic fundamentals. “The Constitution was written by our founding fathers,” he said. “I think they had the best interests of this country for the future at that time, and if we go back to those principles ... our country can get back on the right track.” Stephen Palubinsky, a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences came to the protest for both personal and professional reasons, he said. Palubinsky is an intern for the Libertarian Party. “I’m here simply because I believe we need to limit government,” he said. “This isn’t just about taxation; it’s about large government spending, and that’s just going to happen when you have a big government.” Palubinsky said he attended a Ron Paul speech on Tax Day in 2008 — before there was ever a Tea Party. “I saw Ron Paul address a crowd of one to two hundred in 2008, and today I saw him address a crowd of several thousand,” he said. You can reach this writer at news@ theeagleonline.com.
202-291-7867 Convenient Location to AMERICAN UNIVERSITY
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