Extra chairs were needed at the Board of Directors meeting during ASG’s weekly meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 10 as students from various clubs filled the room to capacity.
The budget summary presented by Vice President of Finance and Communications Chapman Chung was first on the agenda.
According to Chung, the ASG account holds $99,000. Reserves are $114,300. The culture club account has $8,800 and the club account has $9000 left to spend.
The first funding request came from International Talk Time.
The club requested $166 from the culture club account to cover the cost of snacks that will be offered as an incentive at every weekly meeting.
After some discussion, the request was amended to $110 and unanimously approved.
The Single Parent Club requested a modest $100 from the club account to help purchase utensils for their Mardi Gras fundraiser.
ASG President Joseph Root said that ASG is not allowed to fund fundraisers, but in this case it was acceptable because the funds weren’t going into the club’s account, they were being used for the event. The request was approved unanimously.
Students Offering Support and Sobriety followed the Single Parent Club.
The club requested $4500 from the club account to cover the cost of a three-day event scheduled for May 17 to 20.
SOSS will also host a guest speaker, Dr. Inaba, on Thursday May 18. Dr. Inaba will give five lectures throughout the day, all open to the public.
Multiple members of ASG were hesitant to approve the large request, stating the lack of need for t-shirts and buttons, which represented a large portion of the request.
Isabella Barbuto, who spoke for the club, expressed the importance of having t-shirts provided to students who attend the lectures.
The Board of Directors was not convinced (approving the request would deplete the club account of half its funds) and amended the request to $3150, choosing not to fund the t-shirts and buttons.
The Board further amended the request so the money would be allocated from the reserves. Chung strongly opposed the amendment, stating that ASG shouldn’t tap into the reserves account.
The request was finally approved with only three members in favor.
The Gay Straight Alliance continued the meeting with a request for $524.17 for the second annual LGBTQ Film Festival.
The festival will last three days; films will be shown from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in room N201. GSA has earned money through fundraising, and the film festival is expected to have a good turnout.
The Board quickly approved the request.
Lastly, BC’s Speech and Debate Society requested $3515 from the club account for a trip to a debate tournament.
Denise Vaughn spoke on behalf of the debate team and stated the importance the team has had not only on its members, but on the campus as a whole. Each of the 14 students traveling to the tournament will pay $100. A student has already opted out of the debate because she can’t pay the out of pocket amount.
Kellen Maggard of the Debate team presented a heartfelt, albeit comical, plea to the Board of Directors who eventually approved an amended total of $2500.
The meeting was adjourned in anticipation of the next Board of Directors meeting.