Three weeks into the spring semester, ASMSU's Programming Board ran out of money. With several more groups still looking for event funding, ASMSU's Student Assembly passed a bill at its Thursday's meeting that adds $10,000 to the programming budget.
Several representatives from minority and progressive student groups attended the meeting to support the bill.
The board has sponsored 63 cultural and campus programs this school year. The Programming Board's budget is $120,000 for 2003-04, split into $72,000 for the fall semester and $48,000 for the spring semester.
Every representative from the Council of Racial Ethnic Students and the Council of Progressive Students on the Student Assembly voted for the bill and also voted to raise the fund transfer to $15,000 - a measure which did not pass.
Many of the 35 groups coming to the board to ask for money are part of the two councils.
These organizations are not allowed to have fund-raisers, and the board often is the only way the events can be paid for.
After requesting $32,000 from the board for their 21st annual Pow-wow of Love, the North American Indigenous Student Organization received $8,000, leaving the programming fund at $107.
"It's not a new problem," said Vice Chairperson for Student Programming Brent Lee.
Out of the past five years, the Programming Board has run out of money four times.
"Ten years ago, our budget was $225,000," said Alliance of Lesbian, Bi, Gay and Transgender Students representative Matt Rupp, who serves on the Programming Board. "While our budget has gone down, the cost for everything else has gone up."
College of Engineering representative Matthew Warpinski said the board needs to anticipate events happening later in the year.
"Programming Board does not cut meat from the programs," he said, adding the board can give less money but still have large event attendance.
Laura Sorensen, ASMSU's director of Racial, Ethnic and Progressive Student Affairs, said it might be possible to find cheaper options, but finding them takes more time than most groups have.
Other programming groups, such as the University Activities Board, have employees working full-time on programming, she said.
Lee said the money should be able to fund about four more events, such as Asian Pacific American Heritage Month or Take Back the Night.
"I don't think it should be the responsibility of student groups to make sure Programming Board has enough money," said RJ Quiambao, Asian Pacific American Student Organization co-president.
To prevent the same funding problem in future years, some representatives suggested re-evaluating how much the Programming Board should receive each year. The ASMSU Constitution says it must receive at least 20 percent of student taxes collected.
ASMSU Comptroller Mike Trudeau said it was a bad idea to transfer more money, although he agreed the projects the board funds are worthwhile.
"We do care, to the tune of $120,000," Trudeau said. "We should use the money to do things, not to fix a boo-boo."
