Club fund allocations, future events and the reduction of the world’s nuclear threat were some of the issues brought up at the Associated Student’s first meeting of the semester yesterday afternoon.
The funding for 13 clubs and organizations was up for a vote with all of them receiving the funding they originally requested from A.S.
While the A.S. Children’s Center was confronted with some barriers in the beginning, it eventually received it’s request of $4,000 for their newsletter, which goes out to about 800 people with most of the funding going towards postage.
A motion to increase the funding, from their original $1,700 to $3,000, for the soccer club at CSUN was shot down with 11 votes against it.
‘As much as I would love to fund the $3,000 I don’t think A.S. should fully fund it,’ Senator Conor Lansdale said.
The club was eventually allocated its original request. A.S. members said since the club is fairly new they would wait to see how much interest the club garnered and if needed allocate more funding in the future.
While the Radio Television News Director’s Association took a hit when the proposed increase of funding, $3,000, fell to its original request of $2,100.
Total A.S. clubs and organization funding for the 2008-2009 school year is currently set at $573,841, with an estimated $75,200 in unallocated funds.
A.S. currently has $41,879 in unforeseen funding left over from last year’s budget.
Audrey Younna, director of the A.S. Student Production and Campus Entertainment, reported that while N.E.R.D. could not be locked down for the Big Show on Oct. 11 another artist is set to perform, but refused to disclose the artists name until it’s been finalized.
‘I came up here today to speak about the single most dangerous device that exists today,’ said Shervin Boloorian, a Washington representative for the Union of Concerned Scientists.
The danger he was referring to is the United States’ possession of, according to their estimates, 5,000 active nuclear warheads. For Boloorian it isn’t necessary for the U.S. to maintain so many.
He proposed that A.S. jump on board and support the Global Security Priorities Resolution that’s been on hold in the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. The resolution suggests that the money used to produce and maintain nuclear warheads would instead go to education, among others.
‘For some reason it’s being held up in Brad Sherman’s committee for a couple months,’ Boloorian said referring to the Sherman Oaks Congressman of which A.S. is a constituent.
While A.S. usually deals with education issues, it’s uncertain as to whether it will place pressure on Sherman (D-CA) on the issue of nuclear weapons reduction.
‘I think it’s a good mission that has a lot of potential,’ A.S. Vice President Nicole Umali said. ‘As far as A.S. supporting it goes I can’t speak to that.’
A.S. President, Miguel Segura, hopes to increase school spirit and participation by semesters end, for example finally building the $4 million Matador statue, which was put on hold because of the earthquake, and better promoting A.S. events.
