[110] in UA Senate
Re: UA budgeting principles
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Daniel Hawkins)
Thu Oct 15 00:58:30 2009
Reply-To: hwkns@MIT.EDU
In-Reply-To: <f645609e0910142145s5a3b524dx64f2006836a765a9@mail.gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 15 Oct 2009 00:54:02 -0400
From: Daniel Hawkins <hwkns@MIT.EDU>
To: Janet Li <jli12@mit.edu>
Cc: Alexandra Jordan <amjordan@mit.edu>, Jason Scott <jascott88@gmail.com>,
Adam Bockelie <bockelie@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
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I don't know about other committees, but I know the ones Alex mentioned
(exec this semester, DPC last semester) put in some marathon sessions, as
did senate. I know I locked myself in a room from 10am until 7pm on
Saturday, working on position pieces, and the only thing I ate during that
time was some snack food that was laying around the UA office. I've heard
SCEP puts in some pretty long hours sometimes too. We do a lot of thankless
work, and I don't think it's unreasonable to tax students to a small extent
for that work. And I do mean a SMALL extent; if we go with Paul's figure of
$5,675 for food, and look at where we get that money from (student life
fee), and look at who is paying for it (all students), we discover that each
student pays an egregious 57 cents per year so the UA can feed itself.
-hwkns
On Thu, Oct 15, 2009 at 12:45 AM, Janet Li <jli12@mit.edu> wrote:
> I know I'm new, but I just think that committee meetings are generally
> short enough that no one should go too hungry during them... it does seem a
> little absurd to me that 14% of our budget goes to food to feed OURSELVES.
> Sure, the UA works hard and all, but we do it because we WANT to help the
> undergrads. And I just don't see how we're helping and serving them by using
> 14% of our enormous budget to pay for our own food. I would like to suggest
> that we remove food from all of the committees' budgets in the future...
> does anyone else agree at all?
> ---
> Janet Li
> Baker Senator
>
>
>
> On Thu, Oct 15, 2009 at 12:33 AM, Alexandra Jordan <amjordan@mit.edu>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
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
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I don't know about other committees, but I know the ones Alex mentioned=
(exec this semester, DPC last semester) put in some marathon sessions, as =
did senate.=A0 I know I locked myself in a room from 10am until 7pm on Satu=
rday, working on position pieces, and the only thing I ate during that time=
was some snack food that was laying around the UA office.=A0 I've hear=
d SCEP puts in some pretty long hours sometimes too.=A0 We do a lot of than=
kless work, and I don't think it's unreasonable to tax students to =
a small extent for that work.=A0 And I do mean a SMALL extent; if we go wit=
h Paul's figure of $5,675 for food, and look at where we get that money=
from (student life fee), and look at who is paying for it (all students), =
we discover that each student pays an egregious 57 cents per year so the UA=
can feed itself.<br>
<br>-hwkns<br><br><div class=3D"gmail_quote">On Thu, Oct 15, 2009 at 12:45 =
AM, Janet Li <span dir=3D"ltr"><<a href=3D"mailto:jli12@mit.edu">jli12@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;">
I know I'm new, but I just think that committee meetings are generally =
short enough that no one should go too hungry during them... it does seem a=
little absurd to me that 14% of our budget goes to food to feed OURSELVES.=
Sure, the UA works hard and all, but we do it because we WANT to help the =
undergrads. And I just don't see how we're helping and serving them=
by using 14% of our enormous budget to pay for our own food. I would like =
to suggest that we remove food from all of the committees' budgets in t=
he future... does anyone else agree at all?<br clear=3D"all">
---<br><font color=3D"#888888">Janet Li<br>Baker Senator</font><div><div></=
div><div class=3D"h5"><br>
<br><br><div class=3D"gmail_quote">On Thu, Oct 15, 2009 at 12:33 AM, Alexan=
dra Jordan <span dir=3D"ltr"><<a href=3D"mailto:amjordan@mit.edu" target=
=3D"_blank">amjordan@mit.edu</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class=3D"=
gmail_quote" style=3D"border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0p=
t 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
<div style=3D"">I agree with Hawkins. The UA is a large organization, that =
cumulatively puts in hundreds of hours for the undergrads per week, with so=
me individuals putting in well over even a normal 40 hour work week during =
the more stressful periods (example: Exec officers and the Budget Task Forc=
e position pieces, example: DPC report compilation). Providing basics (like=
food, a productive meeting space, etc.) for people to perform work on beha=
lf 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 qualit=
y of working conditions for the people who are representing undergraduates =
to the administration to make life better at MIT. I also would agree with A=
shley's assessment that student groups probably should fund certain eve=
nts or capital expenditures from other means, not only to ensure sustainabi=
lity 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.<div>
<br></div><div>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.<br><div>
<br></div><div>Alex Jordan</div><div><div><div></div><div><br><div><div>On =
Oct 15, 2009, at 12:17 AM, Daniel Hawkins wrote:</div><br><blockquote type=
=3D"cite">This argument neglects the differences in size between the UA and=
the senior class council, the difference in budget size, and the differenc=
e 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 se=
nate meeting we had at the end of last semester...=A0 I think you're co=
mparing very different things here.<br>
<br>-hwkns<br><br><div class=3D"gmail_quote">On Thu, Oct 15, 2009 at 12:07=
AM, Jason Scott <span dir=3D"ltr"><<a href=3D"mailto:jascott88@gmail.co=
m" target=3D"_blank">jascott88@gmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquo=
te 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 s=
trongly 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 i=
mportant for efficiency, can people not simply bring their own food to the =
meeting?<br>
<br>I'm a strong believer in having committee members being rewarded f=
or hardwork/planning. But I think that 14% of a budget spent on the committ=
ee 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 =
11:58 PM, Adam Bockelie <span dir=3D"ltr"><<a href=3D"mailto:bockelie@mi=
t.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: 1ex;"> =
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-lef=
t: 1ex;"><div> 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 n=
ot 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 Biol=
ogical Engineering<br> <br> <br></div><div><div></div><div> On Wed, Oct 14,=
2009 at 11:07 PM, Paul Youchak <<a href=3D"mailto:youchakp@mit.edu" tar=
get=3D"_blank">youchakp@mit.edu</a> <mailto:<a href=3D"mailto:youchakp@m=
it.edu" target=3D"_blank">youchakp@mit.edu</a>>> wrote:<br>
<br> =A0 =A0A few comments:<br> <br> =A0 =A0A quick calculation for this y=
ears budget makes the cost spent on<br> =A0 =A0food for meetings for variou=
s 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 under=
stand the logic in moving the Senate elections to the fall so<br> =A0 =A0th=
at Freshmen could participate. =A0This being said, I think it would<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 b=
e run<br> =A0 =A0with the class council (independent of living group) allow=
ing for<br>
=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 proc=
ess<br> =A0 =A0and any other events which might be taking place. =A0For ins=
tance this<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 greater<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 fe=
el that I have relatively no<br> =A0 =A0idea what is going on for these dis=
cussion 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 u=
p, we<br> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0should hold ourselves to the same standard as Finb=
oard holds<br> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0student groups (which will be easier if Finbo=
ard's standards<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 s=
tandards 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 sense<br=
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0for us to extend the period of the summer budget through t=
he<br> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0second meeting of the subsequent fall's Senate se=
ssion? 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 Weeke=
nd 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 worr=
y about finding 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 enti=
rely taxing the<br> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0student body for meals most of them don&=
#39;t eat (even though<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 f=
ood and would<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 n=
ow is exactly the<br> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0right time to pull our thoughts togeth=
er.<br> <br> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0- Catherine Olsson, Random Hall Senator and Sen=
ate<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 student<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 Fi=
nboard<br> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0had more money, we could relax some of our guidel=
ines, enabling<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 MI=
TSFS<br> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0and Anime Club) to acquire more new material, and a=
llow groups<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 =A0Andr=
ew 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) 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, t=
he incoming Senate and the incoming administration<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 change=
s to the living<br> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0group constituencies, most impor=
tantly Freshmen on Campus,<br> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0the decision was made=
to move Senate elections to the 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 t=
his change, the Fall<br> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0budget was actually voted u=
pon by the outgoing Senate,<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, s=
erved to largely<br> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0hamstring the newly-elected Sen=
ate regarding financial<br> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0policy until at least th=
e Spring budget was discussed 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 ou=
tgoing 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 t=
he<br> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0ExecComm in lieu of Senate. Then the Fall bud=
get is taken up<br> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0and approved by the new Senate w=
hen it is finally assembled<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 the 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 even<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 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 certain<br> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0budgetary line items will be appro=
ved and preemptively<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 resp=
onsibility. Not having<br> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0an approved budget until =
mid October also hampers the<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 t=
he term.<br> <br> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0If other people in the UA agree th=
at this is an important<br> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0enough issue, I encourag=
e 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 different<br> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0options. In the end, the balance wi=
ll almost always be<br> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0between empowering the curre=
nt (or most recently) elected<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 ov=
erreaching 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 =A0An=
drew 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 budgetin=
g 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 A=
ssociation, 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 which most<br> =A0 =A0 =A0 =
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0benefit MIT<br> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0undergrad=
uates. This might mean that we spend 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 wonderful 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 groups 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 awesome 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 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. However, there is a<br> =A0 =A0=
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0natural,<br> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0institu=
tional 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 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 do wit=
h 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&quo=
t;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 =A0th=
e increased money, but it is not always clear 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 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 funding 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, student 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 =A0n=
ot 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 Schwend=
ner<br>
<br> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0On Wed, Oct 14, 2009 at 12:52 AM, Alex=
Dehnert (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:u=
a-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 pointed 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 last semest=
er'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 o=
f last 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, committees 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 i=
n Spring 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<br>
=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 =A0inten=
ded 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 Friday<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 =A0=
receive 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 =A0=
rather 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 =A0Howeve=
r, the Spring 2010 budget 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 budg=
et, I (and I believe<br> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0com=
mittee chairs and the Special<br> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =
=A0 =A0Budgetary Committee) generally 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 se=
nse, 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 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 =A0programmi=
ng (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 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 =A0PL=
US 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 bee=
n defaulting 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 =A0preferenc=
e.<br> <br> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0I would be *thri=
lled* to have 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 =A0ho=
wever, that committee chairs<br> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =
=A0 =A0will probably be asked to begin 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><f=
ont 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 Engineeri=
ng<br>
Class of 2011<br> </font></blockquote></div></div></div><font color=3D"#88=
8888"><br><br clear=3D"all"><br>-- <br>Jason Alexander Scott<br>Class Counc=
il President<br>MIT Class of 2010<br><br> </font></blockquote></div><br></b=
lockquote>
</div><br></div></div><div> <span style=3D"border-collapse: separate; color=
: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal=
; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-h=
eight: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal;=
word-spacing: 0px;"><div style=3D"">
<span style=3D"border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family:=
Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font=
-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: =
0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><div st=
yle=3D"">
<div>__________________________________</div><div>Alexandra Jordan</div><di=
v><br></div><div>MIT 2011</div><div>Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Scien=
ce</div><div>Political Science</div><div><br></div><div><a href=3D"mailto:a=
mjordan@mit.edu" target=3D"_blank">amjordan@mit.edu</a></div>
<div>916.813.7740</div><div><br></div></div></span><br></div></span><br> </=
div><br></div></div></div></blockquote></div><br>
</div></div></blockquote></div><br>
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