[109] in UA Senate
Re: UA budgeting principles
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Jason Scott)
Thu Oct 15 00:56:45 2009
X-Barracuda-Envelope-From: jascott88@gmail.com
In-Reply-To: <alpine.DEB.1.10.0910150035240.18566@dr-wily.mit.edu>
Date: Thu, 15 Oct 2009 00:56:09 -0400
From: Jason Scott <jascott88@gmail.com>
To: Rachel E Meyer <remeyer@mit.edu>
Cc: Alexandra Jordan <amjordan@mit.edu>, hwkns@mit.edu,
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
--00c09f899b2d2b87260475f219ca
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
1. Let's not go by hearsay. I got perks from JetBlue as an intern for them
last year. (lol. wow at that rumor though)
2. Our budget is public knowledge. You can see it at any time. :)
Best,
Jason
On Thu, Oct 15, 2009 at 12:53 AM, Rachel E Meyer <remeyer@mit.edu> wrote:
> 1. Just to be repetive... the UA: Senate, Exec, /14/ standing committees,
> and /5/ ad-hoc committees (for a total of 21 bodies of at least 5-8 people)
> spends less than 6k on food per semester. This is very different than even
> 20 people involved in a class council and related committees spending 30k on
> food.
>
> Also, in the Financial Policy Review Committee (FPRC) report it is
> stipulated that committees must announce all their meetings and make the
> food they get available to anyone who wants to show up for the meeting. This
> is very important to me. I know that I could go to roughly any UA meeting
> to listen to the discussion and share whatever food the committee might have
> ordered.
>
> One more point on this matter: this is what is /budgetted/ for food, not
> what is actually spent. Food expenses are fairly hard to predict and 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
> comments about how they are superior to the UA operating budget simply
> because they don't budget for meeting food.
>
>
> 3. A question to Jason and other class council members to which this might
> apply, what about the perks you get? I hear that corporations like JetBlue
> give some pretty lush deal to council presidents/members for sponsorship
> deals with respect to council events. Could you clarify about such perks?
>
>
> -Rachel
> (ASA President, HistComm Chair, FPRC member)
>
>
>
> ps - short committee meetings? My committee meeting today was relatively
> short tonight - just over 3 hours! (and that was after an exec meeting, 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.
> For example, this weekend alone, some of the UA officers spent more than /40
> hours/ working on a report. And this isn't even way out of the ordinary.
>
>
> On Thu, 15 Oct 2009, Alexandra Jordan wrote:
>
> I agree with Hawkins. The UA is a large organization, that cumulatively
>> puts 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
>> stressful 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
>> 4,000
>> 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
>> administration to make life better at MIT. I also would agree with Ashley's
>> assessment that student groups probably should fund certain events or
>> capital expenditures from other means, not only to ensure sustainability and
>> longevity of the group, but also because many small student group expenses
>> 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
>> behalf of all undergrads, whereas many of the groups we fund benefit and
>> represent extremely small segments of the population.
>>
>> Alex Jordan
>>
>> On Oct 15, 2009, at 12:17 AM, Daniel Hawkins 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
>>
>>
>>
>> __________________________________
>> Alexandra Jordan
>>
>> MIT 2011
>> Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Science
>> Political Science
>>
>> amjordan@mit.edu
>> 916.813.7740
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
--
Jason Alexander Scott
Class Council President
MIT Class of 2010
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1. Let's not go by hearsay. I got perks from JetBlue as an intern for t=
hem last year. (lol. wow at that rumor though)<br><br>2. Our budget is publ=
ic knowledge. You can see it at any time. :) <br><br>Best,<br>Jason<br><br>
<br><br><div class=3D"gmail_quote">On Thu, Oct 15, 2009 at 12:53 AM, Rachel=
E Meyer <span dir=3D"ltr"><<a href=3D"mailto:remeyer@mit.edu">remeyer@m=
it.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; paddi=
ng-left: 1ex;">
1. Just to be repetive... =A0the UA: Senate, Exec, /14/ standing committees=
, and /5/ ad-hoc committees (for a total of 21 bodies of at least 5-8 peopl=
e) spends less than 6k on food per semester. =A0This is very different than=
even 20 people involved in a class council and related committees spending=
30k on food.<br>
<br>
Also, in the Financial Policy Review Committee (FPRC) report it is stipulat=
ed that committees must announce all their meetings and make the food they =
get available to anyone who wants to show up for the meeting. This is very =
important to me. =A0 I know that I could go to roughly any UA meeting to li=
sten to the discussion and share whatever food the committee might have ord=
ered.<br>
<br>
One more point on this matter: this is what is /budgetted/ for food, not wh=
at is actually spent. =A0Food expenses are fairly hard to predict and these=
budgets are upper limits, normally a lot less is actually spent.<br>
<br>
<br>
2. =A0I'd like to look at the class council budgets before making any c=
omments about how they are superior to the UA operating budget simply becau=
se they don't budget for meeting food.<br>
<br>
<br>
3. =A0A question to Jason and other class council members to which this mig=
ht apply, what about the perks you get? =A0I hear that corporations like Je=
tBlue give some pretty lush deal to council presidents/members for sponsors=
hip deals with respect to council events. =A0Could you clarify about such p=
erks?<br>
<br>
<br>
-Rachel<br>
(ASA President, HistComm Chair, FPRC member)<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
ps - short committee meetings? =A0My committee meeting today was relatively=
short tonight - just over 3 hours! =A0(and that was after an exec meeting,=
and some weeks I have another meeting or two before or after those)<br>
<br>
pps - and this doesn't begin to account for out-of-meeting committments=
. For example, this weekend alone, some of the UA officers spent more than =
/40 hours/ working on a report. =A0And this isn't even way out of the o=
rdinary.<div>
<div></div><div class=3D"h5"><br>
<br>
On Thu, 15 Oct 2009, Alexandra Jordan wrote:<br>
<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 agree with Hawkins. The UA is a large organization, that cumulatively put=
s in hundreds of hours for the undergrads per week, with some individuals<b=
r>
putting in well over even a normal 40 hour work week during the more stress=
ful periods (example: Exec officers and the Budget Task Force position<br>
pieces, example: DPC report compilation). Providing basics (like food, a pr=
oductive meeting space, etc.) for people to perform work on behalf of 4,000=
<br>
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=
<br>
conditions for the people who are representing undergraduates to the admini=
stration to make life better at MIT. I also would agree with Ashley's<b=
r>
assessment that student groups probably should fund certain events or capit=
al expenditures from other means, not only to ensure sustainability and<br>
longevity of the group, but also because many small student group expenses =
benefit even fewer people than the UA food expenditures we're discussin=
g.<br>
I also think it's relevant to recognize that the work of the UA is on b=
ehalf of all undergrads, whereas many of the groups we fund benefit and<br>
represent extremely small segments of the population.<br>
<br>
Alex Jordan<br>
<br>
On Oct 15, 2009, at 12:17 AM, Daniel Hawkins wrote:<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0This argument neglects the differences in size between the UA a=
nd the senior class council, the difference in budget size, and the<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0difference in man-hours of work.=A0 How often does the senior c=
lass council meet?=A0 How long are the meetings?=A0 Surely none of them are=
like<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0the 9.5-hour senate meeting we had at the end of last semester.=
..=A0 I think you're comparing very different things here.<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0-hwkns<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0On Thu, Oct 15, 2009 at 12:07 AM, Jason Scott <<a href=3D"ma=
ilto:jascott88@gmail.com" target=3D"_blank">jascott88@gmail.com</a>> wro=
te:<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0I don't generally respond to these threads, but=
I just feel somewhat strongly against food at meetings.<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Not once in our four years has our council sponsore=
d food at our meetings. If having food at meetings is so important for<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0efficiency, can people not simply bring their own f=
ood to the meeting?<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0I'm a strong believer in having committee membe=
rs being rewarded for hardwork/planning. But I think that 14% of a budget s=
pent<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0on the committee members themselves, is somewhat ex=
cessive.<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0How would people react if last year's senior cl=
ass council spent over $30K on food for only 8 people?<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0-Jason<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0On Wed, Oct 14, 2009 at 11:58 PM, Adam Bockelie <=
;<a href=3D"mailto:bockelie@mit.edu" target=3D"_blank">bockelie@mit.edu</a>=
> wrote:<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0I would disagree. =A0Being part of a committee/senate/anything =
else in the UA is a lot of work, and most people are already busy<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0with other activities. =A0Having money to spend on food for a m=
eeting means that people can focus on getting work done, not on<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0searching for food between =A0meetings. =A0People on committees=
are dedicated, and I don't think that food is generally an<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0incentive. =A0But, I do think that food helps make meetings mor=
e productive.<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0Janet Li wrote:<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0I really like Catherine's idea of the collectio=
n jar for food for Senate meetings. I also agree with Paul that it<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0doesn't seem all that necessary to have so much=
of our budget go towards providing food at committee meetings.<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0People on committees should be dedicated enough to =
not need food as an incentive to come to meetings, anyway.<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0---<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Janet Li<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Baker Senator<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0MIT Class of 2012<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Dept. of Biological Engineering<br>
<br>
<br>
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<br=
>
=A0 =A0food for meetings for various committees (and poland spring water)<b=
r>
=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 so=
<br>
=A0 =A0that Freshmen could participate. =A0This being said, I think it woul=
d<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 run=
<br>
=A0 =A0with the class council (independent of living group) allowing for<br=
>
=A0 =A0their inclusion in the fall as well. =A0This process should allow<br=
>
=A0 =A0Senators for the coming year to be involved in the budgeting process=
<br>
=A0 =A0and any other events which might be taking place. =A0For instance th=
is<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 as=
<br>
=A0 =A0the school year begin. =A0Returning senators would also feel a great=
er<br>
=A0 =A0obligation to be involved instead of waiting for the fall session to=
<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 should=
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 up=
, we<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0should hold ourselves to the same standard as Finboard holds=
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0student groups (which will be easier if Finboard's stand=
ards<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 clear=
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 sens=
e<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0for us to extend the period of the summer budget through the=
<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 fa=
ll<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0budget is approved, as happened with Athletics Weekend and o=
ther<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 findin=
g 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 taxi=
ng the<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0student body for meals most of them don't eat (even thou=
gh<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0they're welcome to) seems very reasonable. Other student=
s who<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0come to meetings would still be able to eat the food and wou=
ld<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 tha=
t next<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0term's budgeting is starting soon, I think now is exactl=
y 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 stude=
nt<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0groups by Finboard is because the groups' proposals seem=
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 Fin=
board<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0had more money, we could relax some of our guidelines, enabl=
ing<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0us to fund more conferences, fund capital such as costumes a=
nd<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0musical instruments more than our current caps, fund more<br=
>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0travel, enable groups that maintain a library (such as MITSF=
S<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0and Anime Club) to acquire more new material, and allow grou=
ps<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0who wish to hold a vast number of events to hold all their<b=
r>
=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 o=
ther new<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0senators... it might be time to re-investigate the t=
iming 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) Senate=
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 adminis=
tration<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0worked together to compile and approve a budget befo=
re the<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Summer. However, with a number of changes to the liv=
ing<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0group constituencies, most importantly Freshmen on C=
ampus,<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0the decision was made to move Senate elections to th=
e Fall<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0to allow freshmen to vote (and run in) the Senate co=
ntest.<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 Senat=
e,<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0allowing the administration to have a complete and a=
pproved<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0budget to operate on over the summer, during orienta=
tion and<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0during the Fall term. This, however, served to large=
ly<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0hamstring the newly-elected Senate regarding financi=
al<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0policy until at least the Spring budget was discusse=
d in<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0December. As a result, this was altered (about 5 yea=
rs ago)<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0to the current arrangement where the outgoing Senate=
(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 th=
e<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 as=
sembled<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 th=
e 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 ev=
en<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 than=
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0effective. New senators are just beginning to find t=
heir 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 Presid=
ent,<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Treasurer and (often) Speaker. Situations are also<b=
r>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0encountered where the executive assumes that certain=
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0budgetary line items will be approved and preemptive=
ly<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0spends the money (such as Athletics Weekend), effect=
ively<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 th=
e<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 impo=
rtant<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 calendar=
and<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0taking a closer look at the pros and cons of differe=
nt<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) el=
ected<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0representatives and having an experienced enough gro=
up 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 &=
quot;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 why=
:<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 whic=
h 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 spen=
d 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 g=
roups 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 wo=
nderful 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 group=
s 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 time=
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 awe=
some 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 we=
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 t=
his 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. However=
, 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 money=
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 first=
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 do=
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 cool=
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 that=
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 t=
he 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. Y=
es, 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 cl=
ear 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. Th=
e 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 budget=
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 fundi=
ng 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, studen=
t 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 groups=
. 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 s=
eek 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<b=
r>
=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 Dehne=
rt (UA<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Treasurer)<br>
=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>>> wrote=
:<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 point=
ed 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 las=
t semester's budget)<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0and focused projects (like<b=
r>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0PLUS --- about a tenth of la=
st semester's UA<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0budget). As Andrew Lukmann<b=
r>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0pointed out last week, commi=
ttees are spending<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0almost twice as much in Fall=
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A02009's budget as in Spri=
ng 2007's budget.<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Unfortunately, it is now a l=
ittle bit late to<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0make major changes to the<br=
>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Fall 2009 budget. Last week&=
#39;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 o=
n it then. I also<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0solicited feedback late Frid=
ay<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0night (or really Saturday mo=
rning), 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 alread=
y 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 bud=
get has not begun<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0being compiled. In preparing=
<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 Spe=
cial<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Budgetary Committee) general=
ly followed<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0precedent as to events and a=
mounts.<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0In some sense, there are (at=
least) two options<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0for guiding principles to<br=
>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0take in producing the budget=
:<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0(1) Many of the UA-run event=
s 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-funded=
) 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 even=
ts 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 taking=
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 defa=
ulting 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 t=
o 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 legislation=
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 hav=
e such guidance, and<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0would happily incorporate<br=
>
=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 chai=
rs<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0will probably be asked to be=
gin 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>
<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>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
--<br>
Jason Alexander Scott<br>
Class Council President<br>
MIT Class of 2010<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
__________________________________<br>
Alexandra Jordan<br>
<br>
MIT 2011<br>
Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Science<br>
Political Science<br>
<br>
<a href=3D"mailto:amjordan@mit.edu" target=3D"_blank">amjordan@mit.edu</a><=
br>
916.813.7740<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
</blockquote>
</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>
--00c09f899b2d2b87260475f219ca--
