ASUI Senate passed three financial bills Wednesday at its weekly meeting.
The bills allocated funds to various projects and student organizations on campus and totaled $66,000.
The largest of the bills dedicated $50,000 to buy furniture for the ASUI offices following the remodel scheduled to take place during winter break. The funding for this bill comes directly from the ASUI general reserve, which has more funds available because of salary savings from vacant positions in recent years.
“When we realized we had built up a reserve from those salary savings, we were brainstorming ideas that would benefit students, and the one thing we thought would be our space. That’s the one thing that has really been under-utilized,” said ASUI President, Samantha Perez.
Perez said she hopes students will utilize the space once the remodel is complete.
“Student organizations, our interns, our executive branch, our senate, and the everyday student that just needs a place to study or wants a place to hang out or watch TV or whatever,” Perez said.
The second bill passed at Wednesday’s meeting allocated $15,000 to Vandal Entertainment to finance proposed entertainment for the spring Finals Fest.
Perez said the money given to Vandal Entertainment also comes from the general reserve — It is money that Vandal Entertainment had left over from previous years. They are now asking for that money to be returned to bring in comedian Dan Savage for Finals Fest 2012.
“The only way that we can get into the reserve is with a senate bill. There’s a checks and balance system there,” Perez said.
The final bill passed at Wednesday’s meeting gave $1,000 to an internship program funded through the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
“It’s an internship that focuses around refugees in Boise,” Perez said. “That $1,000 is just to help cover the cost of this leadership opportunity.”
Each bill was considered by the senate finance committee that took care to fully understand the bills and make it clear to students where their money is going.
“I really want students to know that we are being responsible with their money, we’ve just had an accumulation of lots of dollars and so we’re trying to invest it in ways that will most benefit students,” Perez said. “We want to spend dollars wisely and our goal is definitely to impact students and to make their student experience here better.”
Perez said the committee works hard to make sure student funds are being used wisely.
“If that’s an event that enriches their life in some way, or a space for them, or a leadership opportunity I think those are great ways to spend the student’s money because it’s going directly back to them,” Perez said.