ASUI President Hannah Davis decided to set a precedent showing ASUI doesn’t give out money “willy nilly.”
This precedent started after bill F12-42, which would have provided Movimiento Activista Social $600 for El Color de Nuestra Tierra, passed in the senate Oct. 3. It was vetoed by Davis before the Oct. 10 meeting, which ASUI Vice President Nick Tunison said meant the senators who had originally passed the bill 9-5 could vote to overturn the veto. But none did.
Tunison said there had been some debate on the bill during the Oct. 3 meeting.
“Most bills this semester have had little (debate) or none at all,” Tunison said.
He said most of the debate centered on whether the $600 was actually needed and would significantly change the outcome of the event.
Davis said her decision was about more than $600 dollars.
“MAS had already gotten $1,500 from activities board and wanted an additional $600 for food,” Davis said.
She said ASUI’s bylaws state senate funding cannot pay for food because it is perishable. She also considered asking both the activities board and the senate for money “double dipping.”
Another factor in her decision was that clubs and organizations can only be refunded for $2,000 per event. The MAS requests surpassed that total.
“It reminded me of other multicultural events on campus where they charge a couple bucks for food,” Davis said.
She said ASUI has been strict with funding this year.
“I went to the event and it was amazing, but just so people understand that we are not here to give out money willy nilly,” Davis said.
She said in the past ASUI has provided funding for food and events, but views this precedent as a step forward.
“I feel bad not giving them that support, but it is kind of a good thing because now we are reviewing our process and our rules,” Davis said.
She said they want to make sure groups go through the right avenues before approaching the senate for funding. Because of this precedent, Davis
said, each bill with finances included will be heavily discussed before any decision is made.
Katy Sword can be reached at [email protected]