ASUI Senate election results were announced at the Dec. 10 meeting, with Envee Carter, Caroline Crow, Emilie Guardado and Saul Lorenzana elected as new senators and Sen. Andrea Leal re-elected for her second term.
ASUI also passed four resolutions commemorating the work of outgoing Sens. Izaak Krohn and Zoha Aqeel, Senate Adjutant Logan Michener and Director of Finance Lance Butikofer.
Bill F25-B20, a bill giving funding to the UI Photography Club, was heavily debated on. President of the UI Photography Club Theo Schultz spoke at public forum to clear up any confusion about the club’s 501 (c)(3) status. This status will exempt the club from federal income taxes and make them eligible for tax-deductible donations from donors.
“Last Wednesday, one of the senators brought up a really good question about ASUI sponsoring Photography Club as a 501(c)(3), saying that would be too political for ASUI to engage with. I just wanted to address that really fast,” Schultz said.
Schultz stated that Photography Club would include in its bylaws that the club wouldn’t be able to take funding from political entities.
“When I brought up the 501(c)(3) status, I was not concerned that you were going to become a political organization. But being a non-profit is, in its essence, a political organization, so that kind of opens the door to other organizations to pursue that,” Sen. Zac Knapp responded.
During debate on Bill F25-B20, sponsor of the bill Sen. Frances Camilli addressed Knapp’s concerns.
“I want to highlight [that] the main purpose of pursuing a non-profit status is long term sustainability for the club. It allows the group to accept donations, apply for grants, etc., which all means less dependence on ASUI. They’re setting themselves out to be self-sustaining,” Camilli said.
Butikofer gave his official recommendation on the funding of this bill, saying, “paying for non-profit status is just not the kind of expense that falls under the scope of ASUI, and we don’t pay for organizational expansion in that kind of way.”
Butikofer officially recommended giving $400 to Photography Club, due to a precedent set by other club funding requests. The final amount awarded to the club was $800, and bill F25-B20 passed.
Bill F25-B19, giving the Real World Politics club $500, was passed without debate. During discussion, Camilli, sponsor of the bill, said, “When I first met with Madi [Madison Tisdale], the club’s president and founder, it was obvious how much time and energy she spent into building something that will genuinely help students. The club is creating a space where students can learn about real-world issues without pressure.”
F25-B21, a bill reimbursing the International Students Organization $250 for the Thanksgiving dinner they held during fall break, was also passed.
ASUI is adjourning for the semester, and the Senate will reconvene on Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026. This meeting will be at 7 p.m. in the Clearwater-Whitewater room in the ISUB. Meetings are open to the public.
Josie Adjanohoun can be reached at [email protected].