[112] in UA Senate
Re: UA budgeting principles
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Daniel Hawkins)
Thu Oct 15 01:00:52 2009
Reply-To: hwkns@MIT.EDU
In-Reply-To: <9d4f87ed0910142154n35ddd983lf6074775da43e853@mail.gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 15 Oct 2009 00:59:01 -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
--00151747b48853ac540475f22344
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
Oops, the $5,675 is for a semester. So make that an egregious $1.14 per
year.
-hwkns
On Thu, Oct 15, 2009 at 12:54 AM, Daniel Hawkins <hwkns@mit.edu> wrote:
> 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
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>
--00151747b48853ac540475f22344
Content-Type: text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Oops, the $5,675 is for a semester.=A0 So make that an egregious $1.14 per =
year.<br><br>-hwkns<br><br><div class=3D"gmail_quote">On Thu, Oct 15, 2009 =
at 12:54 AM, Daniel Hawkins <span dir=3D"ltr"><<a href=3D"mailto:hwkns@m=
it.edu">hwkns@mit.edu</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class=3D"gmail_quote" style=3D"border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, =
204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">I don't know =
about other committees, but I know the ones Alex mentioned (exec this semes=
ter, 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 Saturday, working on =
position pieces, and the only thing I ate during that time was some snack f=
ood that was laying around the UA office.=A0 I've heard SCEP puts in so=
me pretty long hours sometimes too.=A0 We do a lot of thankless work, and I=
don't think it's unreasonable to tax students to a small extent fo=
r that work.=A0 And I do mean a SMALL extent; if we go with Paul's figu=
re of $5,675 for food, and look at where we get that money from (student li=
fe 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<div><div></div><div class=3D"h5"><br><br><div class=3D"gmail_quo=
te">On Thu, Oct 15, 2009 at 12:45 AM, Janet Li <span dir=3D"ltr"><<a hre=
f=3D"mailto:jli12@mit.edu" target=3D"_blank">jli12@mit.edu</a>></span> w=
rote:<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 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><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>I agree with Hawkins. The UA is a large organization, that cumulativel=
y puts in hundreds of hours for the undergrads per week, with some individu=
als putting in well over even a normal 40 hour work week during the more st=
ressful periods (example: Exec officers and the Budget Task Force position =
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=
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 workin=
g conditions for the people who are representing undergraduates to the admi=
nistration to make life better at MIT. I also would agree with Ashley's=
assessment that student groups probably should fund certain events or capi=
tal expenditures from other means, not only to ensure sustainability and lo=
ngevity of the group, but also because many small student group expenses be=
nefit 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>
<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>
<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>
</div></div></blockquote></div><br>
--00151747b48853ac540475f22344--
