[105] in UA Senate
Re: UA budgeting principles
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Rachel E Meyer)
Thu Oct 15 00:53:37 2009
Date: Thu, 15 Oct 2009 00:53:24 -0400 (EDT)
From: Rachel E Meyer <remeyer@MIT.EDU>
To: Alexandra Jordan <amjordan@mit.edu>
cc: hwkns@mit.edu, Jason Scott <jascott88@gmail.com>,
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
In-Reply-To: <96CE93A0-F68C-4012-91E4-6A6F3D5C23A9@mit.edu>
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1. Just to be repetive... the UA: Senate, Exec, /14/ standing committees,=
=20
and /5/ ad-hoc committees (for a total of 21 bodies of at least 5-8=20
people) spends less than 6k on food per semester. This is very=20
different than even 20 people involved in a class council and related=20
committees spending 30k on food.
Also, in the Financial Policy Review Committee (FPRC) report it is=20
stipulated that committees must announce all their meetings and make the=20
food they get available to anyone who wants to show up for the meeting.=20
This is very important to me. I know that I could go to roughly any UA=20
meeting to listen to the discussion and share whatever food the committee=
=20
might have ordered.
One more point on this matter: this is what is /budgetted/ for food, not=20
what is actually spent. Food expenses are fairly hard to predict and=20
these budgets are upper limits, normally a lot less is actually spent.
2. I'd like to look at the class council budgets before making any=20
comments about how they are superior to the UA operating budget simply=20
because they don't budget for meeting food.
3. A question to Jason and other class council members to which this=20
might apply, what about the perks you get? I hear that corporations like=
=20
JetBlue give some pretty lush deal to council presidents/members for=20
sponsorship deals with respect to council events. Could you clarify about=
=20
such perks?
-Rachel
(ASA President, HistComm Chair, FPRC member)
ps - short committee meetings? My committee meeting today was relatively=
=20
short tonight - just over 3 hours! (and that was after an exec meeting,=20
and some weeks I have another meeting or two before or after those)
pps - and this doesn't begin to account for out-of-meeting committments.=20
For example, this weekend alone, some of the UA officers spent more than=20
/40 hours/ working on a report. And this isn't even way out of the=20
ordinary.
On Thu, 15 Oct 2009, Alexandra Jordan wrote:
> I agree with Hawkins. The UA is a large organization, that cumulatively p=
uts in hundreds of hours for the undergrads per week, with some individuals
> putting in well over even a normal 40 hour work week during the more stre=
ssful periods (example: Exec officers and the Budget Task Force position
> pieces, example: DPC report compilation). Providing basics (like food, a =
productive meeting space, etc.) for people to perform work on behalf of 4,0=
00
> students is completely within reason. If you're looking to cut fat out of=
the budget, it shouldn't be at the expense of the quality of working
> conditions for the people who are representing undergraduates to the admi=
nistration to make life better at MIT. I also would agree with Ashley's
> assessment that student groups probably should fund certain events or cap=
ital expenditures from other means, not only to ensure sustainability and
> longevity of the group, but also because many small student group expense=
s benefit even fewer people than the UA food expenditures we're discussing.
> I also think it's relevant to recognize that the work of the UA is on beh=
alf of all undergrads, whereas many of the groups we fund benefit and
> represent extremely small segments of the population.
>=20
> Alex Jordan
>=20
> On Oct 15, 2009, at 12:17 AM, Daniel Hawkins wrote:
>
> This argument neglects the differences in size between the UA and t=
he 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 lik=
e
> the 9.5-hour senate meeting we had at the end of last semester...=
=A0 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 s=
omewhat 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 rewar=
ded 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 sp=
ent over $30K on food for only 8 people?
>
> -Jason
>
> On Wed, Oct 14, 2009 at 11:58 PM, Adam Bockelie <bockelie@mit=
=2Eedu> wrote:
> 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 meeti=
ng means that people can focus on getting work done, not on
> searching for food between =A0meetings. =A0People on committees are=
dedicated, and I don't think that food is generally an
> incentive. =A0But, I do think that food helps make meetings more pr=
oductive.
>
> 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 f=
ood as an incentive to come to meetings, anyway.
> ---
> Janet Li
> Baker Senator
> MIT Class of 2012
> Dept. of Biological Engineering
>=20
>=20
> On Wed, Oct 14, 2009 at 11:07 PM, Paul Youchak <youchakp@mit.edu <mailto:=
youchakp@mit.edu>> wrote:
>=20
> =A0 =A0A few comments:
>=20
> =A0 =A0A quick calculation for this years budget makes the cost spent on
> =A0 =A0food for meetings for various committees (and poland spring water)
> =A0 =A0to be 5675 dollars which is 14% of our budget. =A0This seems to be=
a
> =A0 =A0pretty large sum and percentage. =A0Saving this money and giving i=
t to
> =A0 =A0Finboard would be quite significant.
>=20
> =A0 =A0I understand the logic in moving the Senate elections to the fall =
so
> =A0 =A0that Freshmen could participate. =A0This being said, I think it wo=
uld
> =A0 =A0be worth considering revising this and moving the elections back t=
o
> =A0 =A0the Spring. =A0We could withhold a few open Freshman seats to be r=
un
> =A0 =A0with the class council (independent of living group) allowing for
> =A0 =A0their inclusion in the fall as well. =A0This process should allow
> =A0 =A0Senators for the coming year to be involved in the budgeting proce=
ss
> =A0 =A0and any other events which might be taking place. =A0For instance =
this
> =A0 =A0would have allowed for the Senators to help the Exec on the task
> =A0 =A0force report this year and get involved in other projects as soon =
as
> =A0 =A0the school year begin. =A0Returning senators would also feel a gre=
ater
> =A0 =A0obligation to be involved instead of waiting for the fall session =
to
> =A0 =A0start.
>=20
> =A0 =A0I, being a new Senator this year, do feel that I have relatively n=
o
> =A0 =A0idea what is going on for these discussion and because of it do no=
t
> =A0 =A0feel it is my place to question the judgment of those who know muc=
h
> =A0 =A0more about the topic than I.
>=20
> =A0 =A0back to work,
>=20
> =A0 =A0Paul
>=20
>=20
>=20
>=20
> =A0 =A0Catherine Olsson wrote:
>=20
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0I strongly agree with Alex S's sentiments that we should f=
avor
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0putting money towards student groups instead of our own
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0initiatives. I think at the very least, as Andrew brought =
up, we
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0should hold ourselves to the same standard as Finboard hol=
ds
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0student groups (which will be easier if Finboard's standar=
ds
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0become more clearly stated and publicized as recommended b=
y the
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0FPRC). If we don't hold ourselves to the same standards as=
the
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0groups we're withholding money from, then it seems clear t=
o me
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0that the money is not going to its best use.*
>=20
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Thanks, Andrew, for the relevant history. Would it make se=
nse
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0for us to extend the period of the summer budget through t=
he
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0second meeting of the subsequent fall's Senate session? It=
seems
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0like this would prevent money from being spent before the =
fall
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0budget is approved, as happened with Athletics Weekend and=
other
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0expenditures this cycle.
>=20
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0I would also be in favor of putting a collection jar out a=
t
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Senate, Exec, and committee meetings so that we can pay fo=
r some
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0of our own food. I greatly appreciate having food at Senat=
e
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0meetings, as it means I don't need to worry about finding =
dinner
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0on an evening which is already very busy. However, paying =
a few
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0bucks for the food I eat so that we aren't entirely taxing=
the
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0student body for meals most of them don't eat (even though
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0they're welcome to) seems very reasonable. Other students =
who
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0come to meetings would still be able to eat the food and w=
ould
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0be encouraged to chip in, too. Does anyone else agree?
>=20
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0I'm very glad we're discussing this issue. Given that next
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0term's budgeting is starting soon, I think now is exactly =
the
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0right time to pull our thoughts together.
>=20
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0- Catherine Olsson, Random Hall Senator and Senate
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Representative to Finboard
>=20
>=20
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0*It should be noted that much of the funding denied to stu=
dent
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0groups by Finboard is because the groups' proposals seem n=
ot
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0well-planned-out or not worth the money (such as t-shirts)=
, not
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0_because_ Finboard doesn't have enough money. But if Finbo=
ard
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0had more money, we could relax some of our guidelines, ena=
bling
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0us to fund more conferences, fund capital such as costumes=
and
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0musical instruments more than our current caps, fund more
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0travel, enable groups that maintain a library (such as MIT=
SFS
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0and Anime Club) to acquire more new material, and allow gr=
oups
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0who wish to hold a vast number of events to hold all their
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0events and not just some.
>=20
>=20
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Andrew Lukmann wrote:
>=20
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0If Alex's sentiments are shared by a number of oth=
er new
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0senators... it might be time to re-investigate the=
timing of
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0future budget approvals as well.
>=20
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0History:
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0In the somewhat distant past (6-7+ years ago) Sena=
te was
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0elected in the Spring with the incoming UA P/VP. A=
s a
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0result, the incoming Senate and the incoming admin=
istration
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0worked together to compile and approve a budget be=
fore the
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Summer. However, with a number of changes to the l=
iving
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0group constituencies, most importantly Freshmen on=
Campus,
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0the decision was made to move Senate elections to =
the Fall
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0to allow freshmen to vote (and run in) the Senate =
contest.
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 From what I recall, the first year of this change=
, the Fall
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0budget was actually voted upon by the outgoing Sen=
ate,
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0allowing the administration to have a complete and=
approved
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0budget to operate on over the summer, during orien=
tation and
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0during the Fall term. This, however, served to lar=
gely
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0hamstring the newly-elected Senate regarding finan=
cial
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0policy until at least the Spring budget was discus=
sed in
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0December. As a result, this was altered (about 5 y=
ears ago)
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0to the current arrangement where the outgoing Sena=
te (in the
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0spring) grants an advance for the administration t=
o utilize
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0over the Summer/Orientation which is disbursed by =
the
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0ExecComm in lieu of Senate. Then the Fall budget i=
s taken up
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0and approved by the new Senate when it is finally =
assembled
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0and called to order by early-mid October.
>=20
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Problems:
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0It seems that in an effort to address problems of =
the past,
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0we in past UA administrations (and past sessions o=
f Senate)
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0have helped to create new problems. It seems that =
even
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0though the intent of moving Fall budget approval t=
o the Fall
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0was to empower new Senators, this has been less th=
an
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0effective. New senators are just beginning to find=
their way
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0and are reticent to question the wisdom of a budge=
t handed
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0to them by more experienced officers like the Pres=
ident,
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Treasurer and (often) Speaker. Situations are also
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0encountered where the executive assumes that certa=
in
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0budgetary line items will be approved and preempti=
vely
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0spends the money (such as Athletics Weekend), effe=
ctively
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0circumventing Senate's oversight responsibility. N=
ot having
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0an approved budget until mid October also hampers =
the
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0ability of the Executive and it's Committees to en=
gage in
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0activities and programming early in the term.
>=20
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0If other people in the UA agree that this is an im=
portant
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0enough issue, I encourage you to re-investigate th=
e
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0possibility of making changes in the budget calend=
ar and
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0taking a closer look at the pros and cons of diffe=
rent
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0options. In the end, the balance will almost alway=
s be
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0between empowering the current (or most recently) =
elected
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0representatives and having an experienced enough g=
roup of
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Senators calling the shots that they can serve as =
a
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0meaningful check against executive overreaching or=
"mission
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0creep."
>=20
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Yours in the UA,
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Andrew L.
>=20
>=20
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Alex Schwendner wrote:
>=20
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0I would like to advocate that our budgetin=
g goal should
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0be to allocate
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0more money to student groups. Here's why:
>=20
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Our goal, as the Undergraduate Association=
, is to make
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0things better
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0for undergraduates. When it comes to money=
, this means
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0that we should
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0see that money gets spent on the things wh=
ich most
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0benefit MIT
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0undergraduates. This might mean that we sp=
end the money
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0ourselves or
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0this might mean that we give it to student=
groups who
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0can use it.
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0There are plenty of student groups who do =
wonderful and
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0amazing
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0things. All of us can think of student gro=
ups which get
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0much of their
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0funding from the UA which have made our ti=
me at MIT more
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0worthwhile.
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Our goal, as the UA, should not be to do a=
wesome things,
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0but rather to
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0see that awesome things get done.
>=20
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Sometimes, of course, this will mean that =
we should
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0spend money on
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0projects conceived by the UA and sometimes=
this will
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0mean that we
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0should give money to student groups. Howev=
er, there is a
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0natural,
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0institutional bias toward spending the mon=
ey ourselves.
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0We need to
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0fight that bias. Since we, the UA, get fir=
st crack at
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0the money, it's
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0easy to think of cool things which we can =
do with the
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0money while
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0forgetting about the very real and very co=
ol things
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0which student
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0groups will *not* be able to do without th=
at money. We
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0can see this
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0"mission creep" in UA funding in the way t=
hat the money
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0allocated to
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0UA committees has increased in past years.=
Yes, the UA
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0does more with
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0the increased money, but it is not always =
clear that
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0it's spent better
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0than it could be spent by student groups. =
The standards
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0which hold for
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0receiving funding from the UA general budg=
et should be
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0analogous to
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0the standards which hold for receiving fun=
ding from UA
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Finboard. I
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0will note that while UA committees receive=
d basically
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0everything that
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0they asked for in the Fall UA budget, stud=
ent groups
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0which applied to
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0UA Finboard received less than 30% of thei=
r requests in
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0the most
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0recent funding cycle.
>=20
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Therefore, during the Spring 2010 budgetin=
g process, I
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0intend to push
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0for allocating more money for student grou=
ps. Projects
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0which we choose
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0not to fund from the UA general budget can=
seek funding
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0through UA
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Finboard, from LEF or ARCADE, from the MIT
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Administration, or from
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0other funding sources.
>=20
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Please discuss.
>=20
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Alex Schwendner
>=20
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0On Wed, Oct 14, 2009 at 12:52 AM, Alex Deh=
nert (UA
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Treasurer)
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0<ua-treasurer@mit.edu <mailto:ua-treasurer=
@mit.edu>> wrote:
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0As several people have poi=
nted out, the UA
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0spends quite a bit of mone=
y on
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0events (about a third of l=
ast semester's budget)
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0and focused projects (like
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0PLUS --- about a tenth of =
last semester's UA
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0budget). As Andrew Lukmann
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0pointed out last week, com=
mittees are spending
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0almost twice as much in Fa=
ll
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A02009's budget as in Spring=
2007's budget.
>=20
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Unfortunately, it is now a=
little bit late to
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0make major changes to the
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Fall 2009 budget. Last wee=
k's meeting was
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0intended to allow that, an=
d we
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0spent a great deal of time=
on it then. I also
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0solicited feedback late Fr=
iday
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0night (or really Saturday =
morning), and didn't
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0receive any. Of course, yo=
u
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0are well within your right=
s to amend the budget
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0at this point. (Though
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Athletics Weekend has alre=
ady happened, so I'd
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0rather you didn't amend
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0that...)
>=20
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0However, the Spring 2010 b=
udget has not begun
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0being compiled. In prepari=
ng
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0the the Fall 2009 budget, =
I (and I believe
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0committee chairs and the S=
pecial
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Budgetary Committee) gener=
ally followed
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0precedent as to events and=
amounts.
>=20
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0In some sense, there are (=
at least) two options
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0for guiding principles to
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0take in producing the budg=
et:
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0(1) Many of the UA-run eve=
nts are more useful
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0than the events and
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0programming (Finboard-fund=
ed) student groups
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0would spend the money on
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0(2) Alternatively, that ev=
ents and programs such
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0as Athletics Weekend or
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0PLUS aren't worth taking t=
he money away from
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0those student groups
>=20
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0We've recently been defaul=
ting to the former
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0guiding principle. However=
, I
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0would encourage the Senate=
to seriously consider
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0which is preferable and
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0pass appropriate legislati=
on indicating a
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0preference.
>=20
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0I would be *thrilled* to h=
ave such guidance, and
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0would happily incorporate
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0it into next semester's bu=
dget. (I warn you,
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0however, that committee ch=
airs
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0will probably be asked to =
begin budgeting in
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0about two weeks.)
>=20
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Thanks,
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Alex Dehnert
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0UA Treasurer
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0
>=20
>=20
>=20
>=20
> --
> Adam Bockelie
> 801.209.7233
> <bockelie@mit.edu>
>=20
> Massachusetts Institute of Technology
> Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
> Class of 2011
>=20
>=20
>=20
>=20
> --
> Jason Alexander Scott
> Class Council President
> MIT Class of 2010
>=20
>=20
>=20
> __________________________________
> Alexandra Jordan
>=20
> MIT 2011
> Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Science
> Political Science
>=20
> amjordan@mit.edu
> 916.813.7740
>=20
>=20
>=20
>=20
>=20
>
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