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Issue 9 | April 4, 2013 | Whitman news since 1896
Breaking down the budget
Yearbook denied funding amidst increased ASWC costs Extra costs leave ASWC 2014 current Allocated BUDGEt* budget tighter for clubs by SHELLY LE Web Content Editor
After a budget appeals meeting yesterday, Wednesday, April 3, ASWC allocated $3,825 of the $15,382.50 in funds set aside for the appeals process to campus clubs unhappy with their preliminary budget requests. Since the student fee was raised for the 2014 school year, ASWC had $41,910 more than last year to allocate for the 2014 fiscal year. But the preliminary budget released on Sunday, March 31, indicated that 12 ASWC recognized organizations were to receive less than 50 percent of their budget requests next year. According to ASWC Finance Chair and senior Sam Sadeghi, ASWC had to allot a larger amount to the Lifecycle Fund for next year, which is the primary reason less funding was available for clubs. The Lifecycle Fund is a savings resource set up to replace equipment for KWCW, The Pioneer, Sound and Lights, Waiilatpu, blue moon, quarterlife and the ASWC office. Typical equipment requests are expensive computer technology, amplifiers and soundboards. Since it’s difficult for organizations to gauge when these items need replacing, it’s also difficult to plan for replacement costs in their annual budgets.
Any money campus media organizations have left over at the end of the year closes into the fund, and ASWC also typically sets aside an amount of money to add to this fund. However, ASWC has not paid into the fund since 2009. ASWC President Kayvon Behroozian indicated that the past two ASWC administrations intentionally did not put money into the Lifecycle Fund to pay for other pressing costs. “It was an active decision not to [add money to the fund] by previous administrations,” he said. The fund is currently sitting at $5,238 and ASWC needs to add money for future replacements. This problem was brought to the forefront when Sound and Lights submitted a request this year for $18,000 to fund outdated sub-woofers, a soundboard and amplifiers. Because need for the fund is dire but money is low, Sadeghi has decided to set aside $24,000 for next year’s Lifecycle Fund. “Lifecycle was set up eight years ago and the idea was to help augment campus media organizations’ budgets so if these people need money for broken equipment, ASWC will have it,” said Sadeghi. “If [the fund] got any worse, half of the campus media organizations would have been in some serious trouble.”
Web Content Editor
After a budget appeals meeting on Wednesday night, the ASWC Finance Committee has decided not to grant Waiilatpu, Whitman’s yearbook, any additional funding for the 2013-14 academic year. The Student Affairs Committee will meet in the ASWC office at 8 p.m. on April 4 to vote on a by-law amendment which would derecognize Waiilatpu. The vote requires a 2/3 majority to pass to Senate, where it would have to meet 2/3 approval to pass. According to ASWC Finance Chair Sam Sadeghi, if the amendment does not pass, the Finance Committee will likely grant Waiilatpu $3,827, slightly less than the amount they appealed for at the Wednesday meeting. Waiilatpu’s future was discussed at the Sunday, March 31 ASWC Senate meeting, after a preliminary ASWC budget allocated the yearbook only $150 out of a requested $7,383. This request represented a 45 percent decrease from the $13,350 that they received this year. $150 is the minimum amount
that ASWC can grant a recognized campus organization unless it specifically requests less money. According to Sadeghi, when allocating funds for the preliminary ASWC budget, the Finance Committee’s intention was to bring about discussion regarding the feasibility of the yearbook and the option of derecognizing the organization. About half of the funds that Waiilatpu receives from ASWC is spent on publishing costs. This funding helps to subsidize the cost of the yearbook for students purchasing it. Senior Ben Lerchin, co-founder and former editor-in-chief of Waiilatpu, said that in previous discussions with ASWC regarding yearbook funding, both parties had come to the conclusion that the yearbook would slowly become less dependent on ASWC in subsequent years. Lerchin believed that subsidizing the yearbook at the start would garner students’ investment, and over time Waiilatpu would raise the price of the yearbook so that they would no longer need ASWC to subsidize the yearbooks. see WAIILATPU, page 2
College lifts ban on funding for international travel by Sarah Cornett Staff Reporter
A
fter strong advocacy from ASWC, students next year will be able to travel internationally unaccompanied with college funding. At a Senate meeting on Sunday, March 31, ASWC President Kayvon Behroozian made the announcement of the policy change, attributing the results primarily to the efforts of ASWC. “It’s been on ASWC’s radar for a while, but this year is when substantial steps forward were made,” he said. The ban on college-supported international travel was put in place three years ago, and according to administrators, removal of the ban has been a much-discussed topic ever since. By lifting the ban, the administration aims to expand the opportunities available to Whitman students. The ban proved detrimental to clubs that base themselves around missions of international travel, including Whitman Direct Action and GlobeMed. These clubs had to resort to fundraising efforts to continue their relationships with international communities. For GlobeMed, the change could help the club expand outreach efforts in Thailand. “Right now we are completely responsible for raising the money for our trip. Now that we could
$27,950.00
potentially have ASWC funding, more people could be able to go,” said first-year Brooke Bessen. Student groups wishing to attend conferences or events abroad were also unable to receive funding because of the ban. Dean of Students Chuck Cleveland maintained that its implementation was the result of increased safety concerns. “We found a lack of ability to vet the trips in terms of safety. It was mainly a liability issue,” Cleveland said. Next year students groups can apply for international funding through the ASWC Travel and Student Development fund. “Starting next year, if the money is there, and if the Finance Committee and the Senate approve the funding for the trip, and [if] the country the group or person is trying to go to meets the criteria, ASWC will be capable of funding such travel,” Behroozian said. International internships sponsored by the college will now also be possible. Currently, the Student Engagement Center offers a stipend to students planning on securing an internship, but this funding has been offered exclusively to students working domestically until now. As part of the decision, Assistant Dean of the Student Engagement Center Noah Leavitt announced that students will be able see TRAVEL, page 2
$37,118.00
CLub sPORTS Travel
Honorariums are stipends for ASWC executive council members and senators, and organization and programming heads.
$35,000.00
$24,381.00
7%
6%
7%
ASWC is funding a total of 13 clubs this year which did not receive funding in the 2012-13 budget.
5% 19%
Media Groups
Programming
$94,302.00
LIFECYCLE
$181,700.00
5%
The Lifecycle Fund replaces technology and equipment for the ASWC office and campus media organizations. For the past four years, ASWC has not put any money into the fund.
*APPEALS
STAFF $80,962.00 ASWC pays the salaries for the Outdoor Program Rental Shop manager and the ASWC Administrative Assistant.
FY 2013 Operations Club sports
$5,550.00
$24,100.00
5%
Travel $12,949.00
$30,000.00
HOnorarium
CLubs $31,041.00
6%
Media Groups $116,445.00
During ASWC’s first budget appeal meeting, an additional $3,825 was allocated to clubs and organizations. The remainder was put into the travel and student development fund.
7%
$171,900.00
16% STAFF $73,281.00
Programming
The 2014 chart represents the latest allocation of the preliminary ASWC budget after their appeal meeting on Wednesday night. Initially, a total of $15,382.50 was set aside for clubs and other groups to appeal funding.
1% 3%
25%
37%
16%
$24,000.00
see BUDGET, page 2
Yearbook remains unfunded after first budget appeal by SHELLY LE
CLubs
HOnorarium
37%
There is an additional budget appeal meeting on Wednesday April 10 at 8:30 p.m. in Reid 207. Money used for these appeals will likely come out of the travel and student development fund. The final ASWC budget will be approved by the Senate at their regular meeting at 7 p.m. on Sunday April 14. The budget must be approved by 2/3 of the Senate. INFOGRAPHIC BY MCNULTY
O N I O N F E S T pg. 9