[101] in UA Senate
Re: UA budgeting principles
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Jason Scott)
Thu Oct 15 00:31:28 2009
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Date: Thu, 15 Oct 2009 00:30:51 -0400
From: Jason Scott <jascott88@gmail.com>
To: hwkns@mit.edu
Cc: Adam Bockelie <bockelie@mit.edu>, Janet Li <jli12@mit.edu>,
Paul Youchak <youchakp@mit.edu>, Catherine Olsson <catherio@mit.edu>,
Andrew Lukmann <lukymann@mit.edu>, Alex Schwendner <alexrs@mit.edu>,
"Alex Dehnert (UA Treasurer)" <ua-treasurer@mit.edu>,
ua-senate@mit.edu, ua-discuss@mit.edu
--001636832cb090b78c0475f1be35
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I'm sorry, let me scale it better for you.
In combining the committees under the Senior Class Council - Class Council,
Senior Week, Senior Ball, Career Fair, etc.
NOT only do I have combined 10+ hours of meetings a week, but I personally
at least have a considerable number of man-hours.
Yet I still manage to not die of hunger.
But do what you will. I was just laying this out there from an outside
perspective.
-Jason
On Thu, Oct 15, 2009 at 12:17 AM, Daniel Hawkins <hwkns@mit.edu> wrote:
> This argument neglects the differences in size between the UA and the
> senior class council, the difference in budget size, and the difference in
> man-hours of work. How often does the senior class council meet? How long
> are the meetings? Surely none of them are like the 9.5-hour senate meeting
> we had at the end of last semester... I think you're comparing very
> different things here.
>
> -hwkns
>
>
> On Thu, Oct 15, 2009 at 12:07 AM, Jason Scott <jascott88@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> I don't generally respond to these threads, but I just feel somewhat
>> strongly against food at meetings.
>>
>> Not once in our four years has our council sponsored food at our meetings.
>> If having food at meetings is so important for efficiency, can people not
>> simply bring their own food to the meeting?
>>
>> I'm a strong believer in having committee members being rewarded for
>> hardwork/planning. But I think that 14% of a budget spent on the committee
>> members themselves, is somewhat excessive.
>>
>> How would people react if last year's senior class council spent over $30K
>> on food for only 8 people?
>>
>> -Jason
>>
>> On Wed, Oct 14, 2009 at 11:58 PM, Adam Bockelie <bockelie@mit.edu> wrote:
>>
>>> I would disagree. Being part of a committee/senate/anything else in the
>>> UA is a lot of work, and most people are already busy with other activities.
>>> Having money to spend on food for a meeting means that people can focus on
>>> getting work done, not on searching for food between meetings. People on
>>> committees are dedicated, and I don't think that food is generally an
>>> incentive. But, I do think that food helps make meetings more productive.
>>>
>>> Janet Li wrote:
>>>
>>>> I really like Catherine's idea of the collection jar for food for Senate
>>>> meetings. I also agree with Paul that it doesn't seem all that necessary to
>>>> have so much of our budget go towards providing food at committee meetings.
>>>> People on committees should be dedicated enough to not need food as an
>>>> incentive to come to meetings, anyway.
>>>> ---
>>>> Janet Li
>>>> Baker Senator
>>>> MIT Class of 2012
>>>> Dept. of Biological Engineering
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On Wed, Oct 14, 2009 at 11:07 PM, Paul Youchak <youchakp@mit.edu<mailto:
>>>> youchakp@mit.edu>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>> A few comments:
>>>>
>>>> A quick calculation for this years budget makes the cost spent on
>>>> food for meetings for various committees (and poland spring water)
>>>> to be 5675 dollars which is 14% of our budget. This seems to be a
>>>> pretty large sum and percentage. Saving this money and giving it to
>>>> Finboard would be quite significant.
>>>>
>>>> I understand the logic in moving the Senate elections to the fall so
>>>> that Freshmen could participate. This being said, I think it would
>>>> be worth considering revising this and moving the elections back to
>>>> the Spring. We could withhold a few open Freshman seats to be run
>>>> with the class council (independent of living group) allowing for
>>>> their inclusion in the fall as well. This process should allow
>>>> Senators for the coming year to be involved in the budgeting process
>>>> and any other events which might be taking place. For instance this
>>>> would have allowed for the Senators to help the Exec on the task
>>>> force report this year and get involved in other projects as soon as
>>>> the school year begin. Returning senators would also feel a greater
>>>> obligation to be involved instead of waiting for the fall session to
>>>> start.
>>>>
>>>> I, being a new Senator this year, do feel that I have relatively no
>>>> idea what is going on for these discussion and because of it do not
>>>> feel it is my place to question the judgment of those who know much
>>>> more about the topic than I.
>>>>
>>>> back to work,
>>>>
>>>> Paul
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Catherine Olsson wrote:
>>>>
>>>> I strongly agree with Alex S's sentiments that we should favor
>>>> putting money towards student groups instead of our own
>>>> initiatives. I think at the very least, as Andrew brought up, we
>>>> should hold ourselves to the same standard as Finboard holds
>>>> student groups (which will be easier if Finboard's standards
>>>> become more clearly stated and publicized as recommended by the
>>>> FPRC). If we don't hold ourselves to the same standards as the
>>>> groups we're withholding money from, then it seems clear to me
>>>> that the money is not going to its best use.*
>>>>
>>>> Thanks, Andrew, for the relevant history. Would it make sense
>>>> for us to extend the period of the summer budget through the
>>>> second meeting of the subsequent fall's Senate session? It seems
>>>> like this would prevent money from being spent before the fall
>>>> budget is approved, as happened with Athletics Weekend and other
>>>> expenditures this cycle.
>>>>
>>>> I would also be in favor of putting a collection jar out at
>>>> Senate, Exec, and committee meetings so that we can pay for some
>>>> of our own food. I greatly appreciate having food at Senate
>>>> meetings, as it means I don't need to worry about finding dinner
>>>> on an evening which is already very busy. However, paying a few
>>>> bucks for the food I eat so that we aren't entirely taxing the
>>>> student body for meals most of them don't eat (even though
>>>> they're welcome to) seems very reasonable. Other students who
>>>> come to meetings would still be able to eat the food and would
>>>> be encouraged to chip in, too. Does anyone else agree?
>>>>
>>>> I'm very glad we're discussing this issue. Given that next
>>>> term's budgeting is starting soon, I think now is exactly the
>>>> right time to pull our thoughts together.
>>>>
>>>> - Catherine Olsson, Random Hall Senator and Senate
>>>> Representative to Finboard
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> *It should be noted that much of the funding denied to student
>>>> groups by Finboard is because the groups' proposals seem not
>>>> well-planned-out or not worth the money (such as t-shirts), not
>>>> _because_ Finboard doesn't have enough money. But if Finboard
>>>> had more money, we could relax some of our guidelines, enabling
>>>> us to fund more conferences, fund capital such as costumes and
>>>> musical instruments more than our current caps, fund more
>>>> travel, enable groups that maintain a library (such as MITSFS
>>>> and Anime Club) to acquire more new material, and allow groups
>>>> who wish to hold a vast number of events to hold all their
>>>> events and not just some.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Andrew Lukmann wrote:
>>>>
>>>> If Alex's sentiments are shared by a number of other new
>>>> senators... it might be time to re-investigate the timing of
>>>> future budget approvals as well.
>>>>
>>>> History:
>>>> In the somewhat distant past (6-7+ years ago) Senate was
>>>> elected in the Spring with the incoming UA P/VP. As a
>>>> result, the incoming Senate and the incoming administration
>>>> worked together to compile and approve a budget before the
>>>> Summer. However, with a number of changes to the living
>>>> group constituencies, most importantly Freshmen on Campus,
>>>> the decision was made to move Senate elections to the Fall
>>>> to allow freshmen to vote (and run in) the Senate contest.
>>>> From what I recall, the first year of this change, the Fall
>>>> budget was actually voted upon by the outgoing Senate,
>>>> allowing the administration to have a complete and approved
>>>> budget to operate on over the summer, during orientation and
>>>> during the Fall term. This, however, served to largely
>>>> hamstring the newly-elected Senate regarding financial
>>>> policy until at least the Spring budget was discussed in
>>>> December. As a result, this was altered (about 5 years ago)
>>>> to the current arrangement where the outgoing Senate (in the
>>>> spring) grants an advance for the administration to utilize
>>>> over the Summer/Orientation which is disbursed by the
>>>> ExecComm in lieu of Senate. Then the Fall budget is taken up
>>>> and approved by the new Senate when it is finally assembled
>>>> and called to order by early-mid October.
>>>>
>>>> Problems:
>>>> It seems that in an effort to address problems of the past,
>>>> we in past UA administrations (and past sessions of Senate)
>>>> have helped to create new problems. It seems that even
>>>> though the intent of moving Fall budget approval to the Fall
>>>> was to empower new Senators, this has been less than
>>>> effective. New senators are just beginning to find their way
>>>> and are reticent to question the wisdom of a budget handed
>>>> to them by more experienced officers like the President,
>>>> Treasurer and (often) Speaker. Situations are also
>>>> encountered where the executive assumes that certain
>>>> budgetary line items will be approved and preemptively
>>>> spends the money (such as Athletics Weekend), effectively
>>>> circumventing Senate's oversight responsibility. Not having
>>>> an approved budget until mid October also hampers the
>>>> ability of the Executive and it's Committees to engage in
>>>> activities and programming early in the term.
>>>>
>>>> If other people in the UA agree that this is an important
>>>> enough issue, I encourage you to re-investigate the
>>>> possibility of making changes in the budget calendar and
>>>> taking a closer look at the pros and cons of different
>>>> options. In the end, the balance will almost always be
>>>> between empowering the current (or most recently) elected
>>>> representatives and having an experienced enough group of
>>>> Senators calling the shots that they can serve as a
>>>> meaningful check against executive overreaching or "mission
>>>> creep."
>>>>
>>>> Yours in the UA,
>>>> Andrew L.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Alex Schwendner wrote:
>>>>
>>>> I would like to advocate that our budgeting goal should
>>>> be to allocate
>>>> more money to student groups. Here's why:
>>>>
>>>> Our goal, as the Undergraduate Association, is to make
>>>> things better
>>>> for undergraduates. When it comes to money, this means
>>>> that we should
>>>> see that money gets spent on the things which most
>>>> benefit MIT
>>>> undergraduates. This might mean that we spend the money
>>>> ourselves or
>>>> this might mean that we give it to student groups who
>>>> can use it.
>>>> There are plenty of student groups who do wonderful and
>>>> amazing
>>>> things. All of us can think of student groups which get
>>>> much of their
>>>> funding from the UA which have made our time at MIT more
>>>> worthwhile.
>>>> Our goal, as the UA, should not be to do awesome things,
>>>> but rather to
>>>> see that awesome things get done.
>>>>
>>>> Sometimes, of course, this will mean that we should
>>>> spend money on
>>>> projects conceived by the UA and sometimes this will
>>>> mean that we
>>>> should give money to student groups. However, there is a
>>>> natural,
>>>> institutional bias toward spending the money ourselves.
>>>> We need to
>>>> fight that bias. Since we, the UA, get first crack at
>>>> the money, it's
>>>> easy to think of cool things which we can do with the
>>>> money while
>>>> forgetting about the very real and very cool things
>>>> which student
>>>> groups will *not* be able to do without that money. We
>>>> can see this
>>>> "mission creep" in UA funding in the way that the money
>>>> allocated to
>>>> UA committees has increased in past years. Yes, the UA
>>>> does more with
>>>> the increased money, but it is not always clear that
>>>> it's spent better
>>>> than it could be spent by student groups. The standards
>>>> which hold for
>>>> receiving funding from the UA general budget should be
>>>> analogous to
>>>> the standards which hold for receiving funding from UA
>>>> Finboard. I
>>>> will note that while UA committees received basically
>>>> everything that
>>>> they asked for in the Fall UA budget, student groups
>>>> which applied to
>>>> UA Finboard received less than 30% of their requests in
>>>> the most
>>>> recent funding cycle.
>>>>
>>>> Therefore, during the Spring 2010 budgeting process, I
>>>> intend to push
>>>> for allocating more money for student groups. Projects
>>>> which we choose
>>>> not to fund from the UA general budget can seek funding
>>>> through UA
>>>> Finboard, from LEF or ARCADE, from the MIT
>>>> Administration, or from
>>>> other funding sources.
>>>>
>>>> Please discuss.
>>>>
>>>> Alex Schwendner
>>>>
>>>> On Wed, Oct 14, 2009 at 12:52 AM, Alex Dehnert (UA
>>>> Treasurer)
>>>> <ua-treasurer@mit.edu <mailto:ua-treasurer@mit.edu>>
>>>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>> As several people have pointed out, the UA
>>>> spends quite a bit of money on
>>>> events (about a third of last semester's budget)
>>>> and focused projects (like
>>>> PLUS --- about a tenth of last semester's UA
>>>> budget). As Andrew Lukmann
>>>> pointed out last week, committees are spending
>>>> almost twice as much in Fall
>>>> 2009's budget as in Spring 2007's budget.
>>>>
>>>> Unfortunately, it is now a little bit late to
>>>> make major changes to the
>>>> Fall 2009 budget. Last week's meeting was
>>>> intended to allow that, and we
>>>> spent a great deal of time on it then. I also
>>>> solicited feedback late Friday
>>>> night (or really Saturday morning), and didn't
>>>> receive any. Of course, you
>>>> are well within your rights to amend the budget
>>>> at this point. (Though
>>>> Athletics Weekend has already happened, so I'd
>>>> rather you didn't amend
>>>> that...)
>>>>
>>>> However, the Spring 2010 budget has not begun
>>>> being compiled. In preparing
>>>> the the Fall 2009 budget, I (and I believe
>>>> committee chairs and the Special
>>>> Budgetary Committee) generally followed
>>>> precedent as to events and amounts.
>>>>
>>>> In some sense, there are (at least) two options
>>>> for guiding principles to
>>>> take in producing the budget:
>>>> (1) Many of the UA-run events are more useful
>>>> than the events and
>>>> programming (Finboard-funded) student groups
>>>> would spend the money on
>>>> (2) Alternatively, that events and programs such
>>>> as Athletics Weekend or
>>>> PLUS aren't worth taking the money away from
>>>> those student groups
>>>>
>>>> We've recently been defaulting to the former
>>>> guiding principle. However, I
>>>> would encourage the Senate to seriously consider
>>>> which is preferable and
>>>> pass appropriate legislation indicating a
>>>> preference.
>>>>
>>>> I would be *thrilled* to have such guidance, and
>>>> would happily incorporate
>>>> it into next semester's budget. (I warn you,
>>>> however, that committee chairs
>>>> will probably be asked to begin budgeting in
>>>> about two weeks.)
>>>>
>>>> Thanks,
>>>> Alex Dehnert
>>>> UA Treasurer
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>> --
>>> Adam Bockelie
>>> 801.209.7233
>>> <bockelie@mit.edu>
>>>
>>> Massachusetts Institute of Technology
>>> Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
>>> Class of 2011
>>>
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> Jason Alexander Scott
>> Class Council President
>> MIT Class of 2010
>>
>>
>
--
Jason Alexander Scott
Class Council President
MIT Class of 2010
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I'm sorry, let me scale it better for you. <br><br>In combining the com=
mittees under the Senior Class Council - Class Council, Senior Week, Senior=
Ball, Career Fair, etc.<br><br>NOT only do I have combined 10+ hours of me=
etings a week, but I personally at least have a considerable number of man-=
hours.<br>
<br>Yet I still manage to not die of hunger.<br><br>But do what you will. I=
was just laying this out there from an outside perspective.<br><br>-Jason<=
br><br><br><div class=3D"gmail_quote">On Thu, Oct 15, 2009 at 12:17 AM, Dan=
iel Hawkins <span dir=3D"ltr"><<a href=3D"mailto:hwkns@mit.edu">hwkns@mi=
t.edu</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class=3D"gmail_quote" style=3D"border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, =
204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">This argument neg=
lects the differences in size between the UA and the senior class council, =
the difference in budget size, and the difference in man-hours of work.=A0 =
How often does the senior class council meet?=A0 How long are the meetings?=
=A0 Surely none of them are like the 9.5-hour senate meeting we had at the =
end of last semester...=A0 I think you're comparing very different thin=
gs here.<br>
<br>-hwkns<div><div></div><div class=3D"h5"><br><br><div class=3D"gmail_quo=
te">On Thu, Oct 15, 2009 at 12:07 AM, Jason Scott <span dir=3D"ltr"><<a =
href=3D"mailto:jascott88@gmail.com" target=3D"_blank">jascott88@gmail.com</=
a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class=3D"gmail_quote" style=3D"border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, =
204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
I don't generally respond to these threads, but I just feel somewhat st=
rongly against food at meetings.<br><br>Not once in our four years has our =
council sponsored food at our meetings. If having food at meetings is so im=
portant for efficiency, can people not simply bring their own food to the m=
eeting?<br>
<br>I'm a strong believer in having committee members being rewarded fo=
r hardwork/planning. But I think that 14% of a budget spent on the committe=
e members themselves, is somewhat excessive.<br><br>How would people react =
if last year's senior class council spent over $30K on food for only 8 =
people?<br>
<br>-Jason<br><br><div class=3D"gmail_quote"><div>On Wed, Oct 14, 2009 at 1=
1:58 PM, Adam Bockelie <span dir=3D"ltr"><<a href=3D"mailto:bockelie@mit=
.edu" target=3D"_blank">bockelie@mit.edu</a>></span> wrote:<br></div>
<div><div></div><div><blockquote class=3D"gmail_quote" style=3D"border-left=
: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1e=
x;">
I would disagree. =A0Being part of a committee/senate/anything else in the =
UA is a lot of work, and most people are already busy with other activities=
. =A0Having money to spend on food for a meeting means that people can focu=
s on getting work done, not on searching for food between =A0meetings. =A0P=
eople on committees are dedicated, and I don't think that food is gener=
ally an incentive. =A0But, I do think that food helps make meetings more pr=
oductive.<br>
<br>
Janet Li wrote:<br>
<blockquote class=3D"gmail_quote" style=3D"border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, =
204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;"><div>
I really like Catherine's idea of the collection jar for food for Senat=
e meetings. I also agree with Paul that it doesn't seem all that necess=
ary to have so much of our budget go towards providing food at committee me=
etings. People on committees should be dedicated enough to not need food as=
an incentive to come to meetings, anyway.<br>
---<br>
Janet Li<br>
Baker Senator<br>
MIT Class of 2012<br>
Dept. of Biological Engineering<br>
<br>
<br></div><div><div></div><div>
On Wed, Oct 14, 2009 at 11:07 PM, Paul Youchak <<a href=3D"mailto:youcha=
kp@mit.edu" target=3D"_blank">youchakp@mit.edu</a> <mailto:<a href=3D"ma=
ilto:youchakp@mit.edu" target=3D"_blank">youchakp@mit.edu</a>>> wrote=
:<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0A few comments:<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0A quick calculation for this years budget makes the cost spent on<b=
r>
=A0 =A0food for meetings for various committees (and poland spring water)<=
br>
=A0 =A0to be 5675 dollars which is 14% of our budget. =A0This seems to be =
a<br>
=A0 =A0pretty large sum and percentage. =A0Saving this money and giving it=
to<br>
=A0 =A0Finboard would be quite significant.<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0I understand the logic in moving the Senate elections to the fall s=
o<br>
=A0 =A0that Freshmen could participate. =A0This being said, I think it wou=
ld<br>
=A0 =A0be worth considering revising this and moving the elections back to=
<br>
=A0 =A0the Spring. =A0We could withhold a few open Freshman seats to be ru=
n<br>
=A0 =A0with the class council (independent of living group) allowing for<b=
r>
=A0 =A0their inclusion in the fall as well. =A0This process should allow<b=
r>
=A0 =A0Senators for the coming year to be involved in the budgeting proces=
s<br>
=A0 =A0and any other events which might be taking place. =A0For instance t=
his<br>
=A0 =A0would have allowed for the Senators to help the Exec on the task<br=
>
=A0 =A0force report this year and get involved in other projects as soon a=
s<br>
=A0 =A0the school year begin. =A0Returning senators would also feel a grea=
ter<br>
=A0 =A0obligation to be involved instead of waiting for the fall session t=
o<br>
=A0 =A0start.<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0I, being a new Senator this year, do feel that I have relatively no=
<br>
=A0 =A0idea what is going on for these discussion and because of it do not=
<br>
=A0 =A0feel it is my place to question the judgment of those who know much=
<br>
=A0 =A0more about the topic than I.<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0back to work,<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0Paul<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0Catherine Olsson wrote:<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0I strongly agree with Alex S's sentiments that we shoul=
d favor<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0putting money towards student groups instead of our own<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0initiatives. I think at the very least, as Andrew brought u=
p, we<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0should hold ourselves to the same standard as Finboard hold=
s<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0student groups (which will be easier if Finboard's stan=
dards<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0become more clearly stated and publicized as recommended by=
the<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0FPRC). If we don't hold ourselves to the same standards=
as the<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0groups we're withholding money from, then it seems clea=
r to me<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0that the money is not going to its best use.*<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Thanks, Andrew, for the relevant history. Would it make sen=
se<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0for us to extend the period of the summer budget through th=
e<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0second meeting of the subsequent fall's Senate session?=
It seems<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0like this would prevent money from being spent before the f=
all<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0budget is approved, as happened with Athletics Weekend and =
other<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0expenditures this cycle.<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0I would also be in favor of putting a collection jar out at=
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Senate, Exec, and committee meetings so that we can pay for=
some<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0of our own food. I greatly appreciate having food at Senate=
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0meetings, as it means I don't need to worry about findi=
ng dinner<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0on an evening which is already very busy. However, paying a=
few<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0bucks for the food I eat so that we aren't entirely tax=
ing the<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0student body for meals most of them don't eat (even tho=
ugh<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0they're welcome to) seems very reasonable. Other studen=
ts who<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0come to meetings would still be able to eat the food and wo=
uld<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0be encouraged to chip in, too. Does anyone else agree?<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0I'm very glad we're discussing this issue. Given th=
at next<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0term's budgeting is starting soon, I think now is exact=
ly the<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0right time to pull our thoughts together.<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0- Catherine Olsson, Random Hall Senator and Senate<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Representative to Finboard<br>
<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0*It should be noted that much of the funding denied to stud=
ent<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0groups by Finboard is because the groups' proposals see=
m not<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0well-planned-out or not worth the money (such as t-shirts),=
not<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0_because_ Finboard doesn't have enough money. But if Fi=
nboard<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0had more money, we could relax some of our guidelines, enab=
ling<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0us to fund more conferences, fund capital such as costumes =
and<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0musical instruments more than our current caps, fund more<b=
r>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0travel, enable groups that maintain a library (such as MITS=
FS<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0and Anime Club) to acquire more new material, and allow gro=
ups<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0who wish to hold a vast number of events to hold all their<=
br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0events and not just some.<br>
<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Andrew Lukmann wrote:<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0If Alex's sentiments are shared by a number of =
other new<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0senators... it might be time to re-investigate the =
timing of<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0future budget approvals as well.<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0History:<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0In the somewhat distant past (6-7+ years ago) Senat=
e was<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0elected in the Spring with the incoming UA P/VP. As=
a<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0result, the incoming Senate and the incoming admini=
stration<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0worked together to compile and approve a budget bef=
ore the<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Summer. However, with a number of changes to the li=
ving<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0group constituencies, most importantly Freshmen on =
Campus,<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0the decision was made to move Senate elections to t=
he Fall<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0to allow freshmen to vote (and run in) the Senate c=
ontest.<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 From what I recall, the first year of this change,=
the Fall<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0budget was actually voted upon by the outgoing Sena=
te,<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0allowing the administration to have a complete and =
approved<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0budget to operate on over the summer, during orient=
ation and<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0during the Fall term. This, however, served to larg=
ely<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0hamstring the newly-elected Senate regarding financ=
ial<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0policy until at least the Spring budget was discuss=
ed in<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0December. As a result, this was altered (about 5 ye=
ars ago)<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0to the current arrangement where the outgoing Senat=
e (in the<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0spring) grants an advance for the administration to=
utilize<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0over the Summer/Orientation which is disbursed by t=
he<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0ExecComm in lieu of Senate. Then the Fall budget is=
taken up<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0and approved by the new Senate when it is finally a=
ssembled<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0and called to order by early-mid October.<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Problems:<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0It seems that in an effort to address problems of t=
he past,<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0we in past UA administrations (and past sessions of=
Senate)<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0have helped to create new problems. It seems that e=
ven<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0though the intent of moving Fall budget approval to=
the Fall<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0was to empower new Senators, this has been less tha=
n<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0effective. New senators are just beginning to find =
their way<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0and are reticent to question the wisdom of a budget=
handed<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0to them by more experienced officers like the Presi=
dent,<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Treasurer and (often) Speaker. Situations are also<=
br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0encountered where the executive assumes that certai=
n<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0budgetary line items will be approved and preemptiv=
ely<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0spends the money (such as Athletics Weekend), effec=
tively<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0circumventing Senate's oversight responsibility=
. Not having<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0an approved budget until mid October also hampers t=
he<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0ability of the Executive and it's Committees to=
engage in<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0activities and programming early in the term.<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0If other people in the UA agree that this is an imp=
ortant<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0enough issue, I encourage you to re-investigate the=
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0possibility of making changes in the budget calenda=
r and<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0taking a closer look at the pros and cons of differ=
ent<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0options. In the end, the balance will almost always=
be<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0between empowering the current (or most recently) e=
lected<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0representatives and having an experienced enough gr=
oup of<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Senators calling the shots that they can serve as a=
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0meaningful check against executive overreaching or =
"mission<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0creep."<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Yours in the UA,<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Andrew L.<br>
<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Alex Schwendner wrote:<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0I would like to advocate that our budgeting=
goal should<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0be to allocate<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0more money to student groups. Here's wh=
y:<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Our goal, as the Undergraduate Association,=
is to make<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0things better<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0for undergraduates. When it comes to money,=
this means<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0that we should<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0see that money gets spent on the things whi=
ch most<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0benefit MIT<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0undergraduates. This might mean that we spe=
nd the money<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0ourselves or<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0this might mean that we give it to student =
groups who<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0can use it.<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0There are plenty of student groups who do w=
onderful and<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0amazing<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0things. All of us can think of student grou=
ps which get<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0much of their<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0funding from the UA which have made our tim=
e at MIT more<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0worthwhile.<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Our goal, as the UA, should not be to do aw=
esome things,<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0but rather to<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0see that awesome things get done.<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Sometimes, of course, this will mean that w=
e should<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0spend money on<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0projects conceived by the UA and sometimes =
this will<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0mean that we<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0should give money to student groups. Howeve=
r, there is a<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0natural,<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0institutional bias toward spending the mone=
y ourselves.<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0We need to<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0fight that bias. Since we, the UA, get firs=
t crack at<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0the money, it's<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0easy to think of cool things which we can d=
o with the<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0money while<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0forgetting about the very real and very coo=
l things<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0which student<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0groups will *not* be able to do without tha=
t money. We<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0can see this<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0"mission creep" in UA funding in =
the way that the money<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0allocated to<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0UA committees has increased in past years. =
Yes, the UA<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0does more with<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0the increased money, but it is not always c=
lear that<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0it's spent better<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0than it could be spent by student groups. T=
he standards<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0which hold for<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0receiving funding from the UA general budge=
t should be<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0analogous to<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0the standards which hold for receiving fund=
ing from UA<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Finboard. I<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0will note that while UA committees received=
basically<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0everything that<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0they asked for in the Fall UA budget, stude=
nt groups<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0which applied to<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0UA Finboard received less than 30% of their=
requests in<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0the most<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0recent funding cycle.<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Therefore, during the Spring 2010 budgeting=
process, I<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0intend to push<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0for allocating more money for student group=
s. Projects<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0which we choose<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0not to fund from the UA general budget can =
seek funding<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0through UA<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Finboard, from LEF or ARCADE, from the MIT<=
br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Administration, or from<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0other funding sources.<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Please discuss.<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Alex Schwendner<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0On Wed, Oct 14, 2009 at 12:52 AM, Alex Dehn=
ert (UA<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Treasurer)<br></div></div><div><div></div><=
div>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0<<a href=3D"mailto:ua-treasurer@mit.edu"=
target=3D"_blank">ua-treasurer@mit.edu</a> <mailto:<a href=3D"mailto:ua=
-treasurer@mit.edu" target=3D"_blank">ua-treasurer@mit.edu</a>>> wrot=
e:<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 <br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0As several people have poin=
ted out, the UA<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0spends quite a bit of money=
on<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0events (about a third of la=
st semester's budget)<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0and focused projects (like<=
br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0PLUS --- about a tenth of l=
ast semester's UA<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0budget). As Andrew Lukmann<=
br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0pointed out last week, comm=
ittees are spending<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0almost twice as much in Fal=
l<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A02009's budget as in Spr=
ing 2007's budget.<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Unfortunately, it is now a =
little bit late to<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0make major changes to the<b=
r>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Fall 2009 budget. Last week=
's meeting was<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0intended to allow that, and=
we<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0spent a great deal of time =
on it then. I also<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0solicited feedback late Fri=
day<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0night (or really Saturday m=
orning), and didn't<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0receive any. Of course, you=
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0are well within your rights=
to amend the budget<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0at this point. (Though<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Athletics Weekend has alrea=
dy happened, so I'd<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0rather you didn't amend=
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0that...)<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0However, the Spring 2010 bu=
dget has not begun<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0being compiled. In preparin=
g<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0the the Fall 2009 budget, I=
(and I believe<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0committee chairs and the Sp=
ecial<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Budgetary Committee) genera=
lly followed<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0precedent as to events and =
amounts.<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0In some sense, there are (a=
t least) two options<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0for guiding principles to<b=
r>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0take in producing the budge=
t:<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0(1) Many of the UA-run even=
ts are more useful<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0than the events and<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0programming (Finboard-funde=
d) student groups<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0would spend the money on<br=
>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0(2) Alternatively, that eve=
nts and programs such<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0as Athletics Weekend or<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0PLUS aren't worth takin=
g the money away from<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0those student groups<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0We've recently been def=
aulting to the former<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0guiding principle. However,=
I<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0would encourage the Senate =
to seriously consider<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0which is preferable and<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0pass appropriate legislatio=
n indicating a<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0preference.<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0I would be *thrilled* to ha=
ve such guidance, and<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0would happily incorporate<b=
r>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0it into next semester's=
budget. (I warn you,<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0however, that committee cha=
irs<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0will probably be asked to b=
egin budgeting in<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0about two weeks.)<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Thanks,<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Alex Dehnert<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0UA Treasurer<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 <br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
</div></div></blockquote><font color=3D"#888888">
<br>
-- <br>
Adam Bockelie<br>
801.209.7233<br>
<<a href=3D"mailto:bockelie@mit.edu" target=3D"_blank">bockelie@mit.edu<=
/a>><br>
<br>
Massachusetts Institute of Technology<br>
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering<br>
Class of 2011<br>
</font></blockquote></div></div></div><font color=3D"#888888"><br><br clear=
=3D"all"><br>-- <br>Jason Alexander Scott<br>Class Council President<br>MIT=
Class of 2010<br><br>
</font></blockquote></div><br>
</div></div></blockquote></div><br><br clear=3D"all"><br>-- <br>Jason Alexa=
nder Scott<br>Class Council President<br>MIT Class of 2010<br><br>
--001636832cb090b78c0475f1be35--
