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Monday, November 7, 2016 | Vo l u m e 1 2 1 | I s s u e 2 4
ASUNM spending draws criticism 76% of money for ‘all students’ stays with ASUNM
By Shelby Perea and David Lynch @shelby_perea @RealDavidLynch This story is the first in a series by Daily Lobo staff about undergraduate student government finances. It was the spring of 2016 when a long-standing student organization was told they were no longer going to receive their primary source of funding. Scribendi began in 1985 when students aimed to create a space for other Lobos to express themselves through writing. Alexandra Magel, current editor-in-chief of Scribendi, said the magazine’s production — which has been met with rich student involvement and national recognition — was put in jeopardy when the Associated Students of UNM told Scribendi staff that they were no longer eligible for funding through the spring ASUNM budget process. The staff, including Magel, were shocked and left feeling hopeless. They were told that their student organization “functioned too much as a class.” Magel explained that was even more surprising to hear, because they had been operating under the same constitution for 15 years and had never run into problems with ASUNM. In fact, ASUNM typically provided one third of Scribendi’s budget, according to Magel. Magel recalled what it was like to hear that the literary magazine may not be printed in 2017. “To learn that Scribendi had lost its funding from ASUNM started as an awful record scratch that evolved into a constant, oppressive feeling that hung over the whole staff last year. As a staff member last year, I remember feeling like the ground had been ripped from under me,” she said. “It was the first time that UNM, which had become a safe second home for me, took on a sickly tinge — I couldn’t feel the same way while being on campus anymore.” Scribendi was the only organization that lost all of its funding from ASUNM that semester. “As the situation progressed, there was a day when I couldn’t eat and a couple weeks where I didn’t sleep well,” Magel said. Melissa Krukar, a student at UNM and the managing editor of Scribendi this year, took a look at the ASUNM budget and said the undergraduate student government is very “exclusive” in whom the fund benefits. “I find it predictable that they would fund themselves,” Krukar said. Krukar said she felt that ASUNM was not benefiting the whole
student body. She also went on to say she felt like ASUNM failed her and her fellow students. The Scribendi staffers were not the only people who found the defunding controversial. According to minutes from an ASUNM Senate meeting on March 30, 2016, thenSenator Olivia Padilla said, “We should fund them $500 because they have not been given warning. They are not present right now.” Sen. Jorge Guerrero also brought up another interesting part of the budget. “How many of you knew that president and VP (of ASUNM) get a scholarship?” asked Guerrero, according to the meeting minutes. “We are cutting stuff that will go to students rather than talking about a scholarship that only affects two people. Why can’t we do that instead of stuff that will benefit students?” The Daily Lobo found what Guerrero was referencing in that meeting: The tuition of ASUNM’s vice president and president is payed for by student fees through the ASUNM spring budget process, in addition to the salaries they receive. When approached about these budget decisions, ASUNM Director of Communications Gabe Gallegos insisted the money given to ASUNM agencies and line items was directly benefitting students, stating that the majority of that money is “going directly back to student’s pockets, essentially.” After Scribendi was defunded, and students approached the Daily Lobo with questions about where their money was going, we began an investigation into spending and the budget, which is deliberated on by the ASUNM Finance Committee before being presented to the Senate. The Lobo found that ASUNM acted in compliance with their laws and regulations to defund Scribendi. The Finance Committee had and has the power to defund organizations without the approval of any other entity. However, students at UNM and staff at the magazine wanted to know where the money was going, if not to one of the University’s most established literary magazines. After all, the money for ASUNM’s budget comes from the pool of student fees that every UNM student contributes to. Specifically, $20 in fees from every student goes to ASUNM for money to be allocated through appropriations, as well as the fall and spring budgets. The Daily Lobo found that nearly 76 percent of the spring 2016 budget actually went to line items
see
Budget page 3
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2016 Spring Budget Breakdown
30.6%
AS 5.3%
24%
Other ASUNM agencies, line items
UN
8.5%
Non-ASUNM-affiliated groups and organizations
24% 21%
ASUNM Senate
10.6%
M
ASUNM Southwest Film Center ASUNM Student Special Events Salaries of 10 ASUNM positions, including front desk employee
$3,488.85 was the average amount of funds requested by 100 non-ASUNM student groups and organizations from the 2016 Spring Budget.
$45,969.35 was the average amount requested by 14 ASUNM agencies and line items.
“(The student fees are) going directly back to student’s pockets, essentially.” — ASUNM Officials Gray: Proposed constitutional amendment on ballot releases inmates without bail Keep up to date with Election Day developments on our website and social media. Follow the @DailyLobo on Twitter to vote in our #PollOfTheDay: Have you cast your ballot for the election yet?