THE DAILY ILLINI
MONDAY November 28, 2016
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The independent student newspaper at the University of Illinois since 1871
WWW.DAILYILLINI.COM
Vol. 146 Issue 27
Student Senate slows on spending Illinois Student Senate Illinois Studentbudget Senate 13th assembly The Illinoisassembly Student Senate hasbudget allocated 60 13th percent of their $51,196 for the 2016–2017 The Illinois Student Senate has allocated 60 school year. percent of their $51,196 for the 2016–2017 school year.
Starting balance $51,196.24 Allocated $24,650.90 Starting balance $51,196.24 Spent $16,497.66 Allocated $24,650.90 Spent $16,497.66
Quad Day 2016 Quad Day It's On Us2016 It's On Us ABTS ABTS College Town Hall meetings College Town Hall meetings National Coming Out Day National Coming Out Day Illinois Sights and Sounds Illinois Sights and Sounds 911 rememberance 911 rememberance 0
$2,000 $4,000 $6,000 $8,000
0
$2,000 $4,000 $6,000 $8,000
Source: Illinois Student Senate 13th Assembly Budget Source: Illinois Student Senate 13th Assembly JACOBBudget SINGLETON THE DAILY ILLINI JACOB SINGLETON THE DAILY ILLINI
BY VIVIENNE HENNING ASSISTANT DAYTIME EDITOR
Each new assembly of the Illinois Student Senate receives a budget to help organize its spending for campaigns and fundraisers across campus. Usually, there is enough money to fund campaigns comfortably throughout the year. But this year’s assembly has deviated from its spending plan. The senate has allocated twothirds, or $24,650.88, of its $39,000 allocation from the Chancellor’s office for the year with five months left on their term. But the 12th Assembly’s rollover funds helped this year’s assembly stay on target by raising the 13th Assembly’s budget to total $51,196.24. The senate has $26,545.36 left in its account after allocations. Sam Braganca, student senate treasurer and sophomore in Business, explained that each new assembly typically receives rollover funding that is added to the budget for the next year, but it includes fixed amounts that are pre-allocated for certain events and campaigns. “This year, I inherited about $12,000 from my predecessor,” Braganca said. “But, $8,000-$9,000 of that was already allocated to things that we had to spend this semester — that last assembly allocated for.” But this year, the student senate has had to curb their spending so that it has enough money to fund campaigns in the coming months. “From looking at past budgets, we are spending a lot quicker than we usually do. That’s been a cause of concern. So we’ve sort of slammed on the brakes there,” Braganca said. “We’re trying to ease up a little bit so that we don’t run out of all our money because we’ve already allocated over half. Which is, as far as I can see, unprecedented.” In the Pre-Packet released about the student senate meeting on Oct. 26, Braganca had announced that thus far, the Senate has allocated $24,650 and spent about two-
Top ten allocators of ISS funds
thirds of their budget. He also stated that he would release a quarterly budget. “We funded that all in one block sum this year instead of smaller increments,” he said. “So we have been spending quicker, but also, there’s less stuff down the road that we’re going to have to pay for.” In contrast, last year’s 12th Assembly encountered a positive influx for its budget during the second half of the Assembly. In its Spring Financial Budget Report of 2016, in its Statement of Balance, it revealed that while the 12th Assembly started with $51,230.76, the second half of the 12th Assembly had seen spending (allocations and disbursements in tandem) increase markedly from the previous period. “While I encourage senators and committee members to think of innovative ways to spend money on projects, it is likely that the 12th assembly will see a rollover of almost double its previous year,” said Rahul Kalluri, the 12th Assembly student senate treasurer, in the statement. Another complication is the impact of the state budget impasse on the University. This, in turn, has an effect on the spending abilities of the student senate. “We have been affected a little bit,” Braganca said. “It makes it harder to spend money because we have to jump through a few more hoops.” Braganca said that, because the money is coming from the Chancellor’s office, the student senate is not allowed to hold onto it themselves. Instead, it is kept in the student senate RSO account and only Rhonda Kurtz, the student senate advisor, is allowed to handle the money. The majority of money is spent on outreach campaigns; the two biggest are Quad Day and the “It’s On Us” campaign. “(For) our campaigns, the rule that we have is that it has to be accessible to any student,” Braganca said.
JACLYN KAMINSKI
The student senate has already spent almost twothirds of its yearly allocated funding for the term that ends in five months.
RAHUL KALLURI
ALEX VILLANEUVA ANDRIANNA KURZENBERGER
SPENCER HAYDARY
Allocated money is not always spent; sometimes, more money is put aside than is needed if additional costs arise. For example, $1,240 was allocated for National Coming Out Day but $251.30 was spent
TARA CHATTORAJ
RIANNON SZOFER
ANNALISA RONCONE
RON LEWIS
RAHUL RAJU
Source: Illinois Student Senate 13th Assembly Budget
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TIFFANY ZHANG THE DAILY ILLINI
UI startup predicted Trump’s electoral win DONALD TRUMP
100
BY MICHAEL SEMACA STAFF WRITER
80 Candidate’s chance of winning %
In the wake of Donald J. Trump’s victory in the presidential election, voters and pundits alike wondered the same thing, how could Trump have pulled off such a massive upset over his seemingly heavily favored opponent, Hillary Clinton. Nearly every poll had Clinton winning most swing states along with the national election -- nearly every poll was wrong. On the morning of Nov. 8, the University’s own Election Analytics group gave Trump a mere 0.20 percent chance of winning; in October, they gave him a zero percent chance. Professor Sheldon Jacobson of Election Analytics said the polls missed multiple things, such as the number of undecided voters. “We have seen in previous elections that the undecided would be
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HILLARY CLINTON
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Evolving Spanish
UI professor reflects on the value of the language
6:00 p.m. 8:00 p.m. Nov. 8 Election Day, All times in CST
down to two or three percent (by election day,)” Jacobson said. “In some states, they were as high as seven or eight percent, which was quite frankly, unheard of.”
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Most undecided voters then flocked to the Republican candidate, Jacobson said. He pointed out that while most polls grossly underestimated Trump’s turnout, they man-
next fall. Padilla is unsure of how that will affect her family financially. She noted her dad cannot pay for an increase in student rates. “I feel like (my dad) is going to have this breaking point where he won’t be able to pay for school anymore,” Padilla said. As of now, the student health insurance plan costs $320 per semester for undergraduate students. The plan, provided by United Healthcare, covers all elements required by the Affordable Care Act as well as the most necessary medical expenses a student might encounter in the event of an illness or accident, Palinkas said in
BY GILLIAN DUNLOP STAFF WRITER
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The daughter of a mechanic and a Chicago public schools office assistant, sophomore in LAS Fabiola Padilla has already had to take out $13,000 in loans in order to afford the University. For her family, every dime counts when it comes to paying for her college education. A substantial increase in any student rate could push them over the edge. McKinley Health Director Robert Palinkas mentioned during an Illinois Student Senate meeting that student health insurance premiums may increase by at least 10 percent
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Local bar accessibility Campus bars isolate people who use wheelchairs
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SPORTS
First year done
Lovie Smith finished his first season in Champaign
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aged to predict the number of Clinton voters quite accurately.
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an email. When students are registering for the University, they are required to provide information about their family’s health insurance plan so McKinley can evaluate it for equivalency to the University’s plan. This year, 1,720 requests to waive the health insurance fee were denied, including Padilla’s. “I should have a choice of whether I want (the student health insurance) or not, especially because I have insurance,” Padilla said. “I shouldn’t be forced to pay for it.” There are a variety of reasons
From Nov. 14-17, President Timothy Killeen and a delegation of senior leaders visited Mexico and met with the Mexican Science and Technology Council. The University of Illinois signed an agreement with the Mexican Science and Technology Council that will allow doctoral students to study at the University system. All three campuses, Champaign-Urbana, Chicago and Springfield agreed to provide a foundation for new academic and research partnerships with Mexico’s largest university and the country’s leading research institute. This four-day trip aimed to explore new educational and research collaborations in Mexico and involved meetings with government agencies and two
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President Timothy Killeen at the Illini Union on March 12, 2015.
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