The Associated Students Finance Committee voted to approve funding for several clubs and organizations during the Finance Committee meeting Monday afternoon.
Representatives from various student groups were given a chance to meet with the committee face to face, after submitting a request for an annual budget, supplemental funding, or to change the purpose of previously allocated funds. During this time representatives explained what the requested money would be used for and why their specific group should be allocated such funds.
David Koh, a member of Zeta Beta Tau requested $3,500 on behalf of his fraternity, for an event inspired by a ZBT alumni who’s nephew died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). “We’ve raised at least $5,000 every year with this event, and we want to double that this year,” said Koh, who requested the money for ZBT’s annual SIDS Powderpuff Football Tournament, which will be held on Dec. 1, 2007.
The committee voted unanimously to allocate $1,000 to the organization.
Other organizations that requested funding include the Student Finance Association, which requested funding for career preparation meetings, a career fair, and an annual banquet, Phi Alpha Delta, a pre-law fraternity, which wanted funding for a group trip to a pre-law conference in Austin, Texas, and the Society of Automotive Engineers, which wanted money for supplies for student members to build a racecar and enter it into the Formula SAE competition to compete with other students around the world.
The Residential Life and University Conference Services sought funding for a trip to Jamaica for 14 Deaf Studies students enrolled in an independent studies class DEAF 499Z, to compare and contrast the Deaf experience in the U.S. and in Jamaica, among other overall goals, and MEChA, requested funding for its annual Dia De Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebration.
“This is the only Dia de los Muertos event in the Valley,” said MEChA representative, Marcos Zamora. “People from all over the community participate in this event, we usually have 200 to 300 people.”
Two new groups on campus, the matador boxing team, and the Inter Cultural and Religious Studies Association also made funding requests.
ISRA is planning to have Karen King, author of “The Gospel Judas and the Shaping of Christianity”, scholar of Religious Studies, and professor at Harvard University, speak at the “Little Theatre” at an event that will be free for CSUN students.
The Matador Boxing team is just getting its start on campus, and wants money for uniforms, licensing costs, certification fees, equipment, advertising, and travel to prospective competitions. The group requested slightly over $4,000 for these expenses. The committee unanimously voted to fund only the costs of licensing, certification, advertisements, and $45 for other fundable needs.
Not only groups and organizations made their request for funding. CTVA student Michael Mwemba requested funding for a film that he will be shooting for his CTVA 464 class project. “I don’t want it to look like a student Film,” said Mwemba. He said he wants the extra funding for this project so it will be of quality to be entered into various film festivals.
The finance committee unanimously voted to approve the funding for all of these groups. Each group, however, was voted to receive less money than requested, except for the Society of Automotive Engineers, which the committee voted to fund $1,000 more than was requested for the groups Formula SAE Competition.
These A.S. Finance Committee recommendations will go to the senate, as the senate will have the final vote on the amount of funding that each group will receive.
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