A two-part recommendation, introduced by the Internal Affairs committee of Associated Students, to potentially increase the stipend Senators receive was passed by the student government.
This comes after the Internal Affairs Committee noted that there was a discrepancy in the A.S. Students Spring 2008 Elections Filing Packet and the stipend senators currently receive, $50 every other week and an additional $50 if they serve as a committee chair as well.
The first recommendation would change the Elections code to reflect what information is or isn’t listed in the Elections Filing Packet. If enacted it will go to the Policies Committee and potentially make its way to the senate floor for a vote.
The second recommendation allows a Senator to request that the A.S. President and Vice President ask the Personnel Board to restore the stipend to its original amount from the 2006 ‘- 2007 academic year of $100 and another $100 if they are a chair of a committee.
The Personnel Board lowered the Senator stipend before the semester began in an effort to hold Senators accountable.’
‘Just because you’re getting a stipend doesn’t mean necessarily mean your doing your job,’ Vice President Nicole Umali said, who sits on the board. ‘So we lowered the stipend to a middle level.”
Umali can sympathize with the effort and understands that the stipend doesn’t reflect the amount of work some Senators undertake, still since they must all receive the same amount
Chair of Internal Affairs, John Barry Neilan III, said that the recommendation included language that would’ve allowed for accountability. However the Senate didn’t pass those options.
‘It would’ve allowed A.S. to reward Senators with an additional scholarship if they did the most work or the best work.’
For Neilan restoring the stipend to what was promised on the election’s packet is about accountability, but doesn’t see anything coming from the recommendation.’
‘At this point I don’t know what’s going to happen, it’s really hard to tell,’ Neilan said.‘ ‘
The Central American United Student Association voiced there disappointed at not being awarded the full amount of money for the College of Humanities International Film Festival on Nov. 7.
CAUSA advisor, professor Beatriz Cortez said that in the past A.S. has made decision that that works against cultural organizations that are borderline racist.
The Finance Committee recommended that CAUSA use the $2,500 they had been allocated for the rest of the year to fund the film festival which is estimated to cost $1,000. Once the money from excess enrollment came in the committee would reimburse the club.
‘ A.S. Finance Director Sam Scruggs said this was necessary because the unallocated reserves fund is low, currently around $15,632.
‘Once we get the money from excess enrollment we will replenish their funds because we do want to help them’ Scruggs said. ‘This has happened with other clubs so its not just them.’
However the decision didn’t appeal to CAUSA because the funding for the rest of the year would be at the mercy of excess enrollment.
After the meeting Scruggs spoke with the group and decided that the Finance Committee would recommend additional funding for CAUSA and then vote on the issue this upcoming Tuesday.
‘It seems like they are going to help us and we are very grateful,’ Cortez said.
