Budget passes with one-third of senators missing
Student Government unanimously passed its annual budget Wednesday evening, but by the bill’s 7:15 p.m. approval, 16 senators were unaccounted for in the roll call vote.
The budget was approved by a vote of 32-0. Only two-thirds of the 48-member student senate were present for the vote. Some ducked out of the meeting early, while others did not attend.
The final student senate meeting of the semester was long and included two recesses as well as votes for, and introductions of, legislation. One bill would completely overhaul the funding request system for student organizations.
Currently, organizations must request their financial allocations one semester in advance, which Sen. Ashley Farr said has caused difficulties for many groups.
“A lot of the time, once these organizations get the money, their leadership has changed,” said Farr, a second-year international business student.
So Farr and the Senate Finance Committee have introduced legislation that would drastically shorten the allocation timeline.
Organizations would request funding on a rolling basis. They must file their requests at least five weeks before they need the money and will be required to submit what Farr called “line-item receipts,” which will detail exactly what they need funding for and reduce the risk of spending less than what was given to each organization.
The bill, which will be voted on in the senate’s first fall meeting, was presented to representatives from 36 student organizations at a meeting earlier in the week, and all approved of the system, Student Body Vice President Ryan Bailey said.
“Nothing but positive feedback,” Bailey said. “If this passes, it’ll be a great system.”
Details on the budget were not clear by late Wednesday night.