Associated Students Finance Committee members allocated more than $8,000 during Monday’s meeting.

Chabad’s request for $3,450 for a dinner on Nov. 17 with a former Dallas Cowboys linebacker was the first item on the agenda.

Sen. Gershon Feit, who was representing Business and Economics, said the group was asking for $2,000 for lecturer fees, $750 for airfare and $700 for other expenses.

Six hundred dollars was voted to be allocated toward the event by five members of the finance committee. No members of the committee voted against the allocation.

Finance committee members voted 4-1 to allocate the entire request of $2,600 for Matador Involvement Center clubs and organizations.

Vicki Allen, assistant director for student involvement, said the request was to pay for interpretive services for deaf and hard of hearing students at the Clubs and Organizations Recognition Conference.

Allen said, “We had some students cry and leave because they were unable to understand what was happening.”

Allen said the MIC didn’t plan to review the budget, which is why “we are unable to pay for the services. We never intended to use our A.S. fund.”

Estella Owoimaha, vice president of the Hip Hop Think Tank, said the group’s request of $6,410 was to help with funding for their journal, “a progressive journal that talks about political issues from a hip-hop standpoint.”

Owoimaha said the group hoped to extend the journal by a few more pages.

“If we can get (local high school students’) work published in our journal, we are hoping to get them excited about going to college,” Owoimaha said.

Two thousand seven hundred dollars was voted to be allocated to the group by five finance committee members. No members of the committee voted against the allocation.

Another item on the agenda was a request for $1,000 by the Central American United States Association, which plans to use the money to help pay to have the musical group, Yolocamba I Ta, play at the CAUSA’s Popular Arts Event 2008. The group will be featuring posters and art pieces featuring Central America’s struggle during the 1970s.

Vanessa Guerrero, a CAUSA member, said, “We hear about this group and a lot of their music is interesting. They lived through these times.”

All the money that was request was voted to be allocated by five members of the finance committee. No committee member voted against the allocation.

Anna Dvorak, an associate geography instructor at CSUN, requested $1,800 for a trip to Belize.

Five hundred dollars was voted to be allocated for Dvorak’s trip by four finance committee members. One committee member voted against the allocation.

PUSH club, a group of students who try to raise awareness about people with disabilities, requested $2,350 for their planned week of activities called, “PUSH: No Boundaries Week.”

Group representatives and members Esteban Ruiz and Josh Hansen said the group planned a week of events including an event in which group members will sit on a toilet for 100 hours.

“We want to get the CSUN students together and rally around this good cause,” Hansen said.

Four members of the finance committee to voted to allocate $500 toward the event. One committee member voted against the allocation.

One of two agenda items from last week’s meeting was the CSUN Hillel’s request for $150 for their Hungry Banquet.

Five members of the finance committee voted to allocate the full amount of money requested. No committee member voted against the allocation.

The second item from last week’s meeting was the Marine Biology Graduate Student Association’s request for $1,326 dollars for their event, “Western Society of Naturalists.”

MGBSA Secretary Daniel Green said, “Its important because students can interact with other students and meet with professors,” Green said.

The committee allocated $222 for lodging and travel expenses.

Do you have more to say than a comment? Want any feedback from the writer? Story ideas? Click on The Gripevine.