[115] in UA Senate
Re: UA budgeting principles
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Jason Scott)
Thu Oct 15 01:16:07 2009
X-Barracuda-Envelope-From: jascott88@gmail.com
In-Reply-To: <alpine.DEB.1.10.0910150101160.18566@dr-wily.mit.edu>
Date: Thu, 15 Oct 2009 01:15:38 -0400
From: Jason Scott <jascott88@gmail.com>
To: Rachel E Meyer <remeyer@mit.edu>
Cc: Alexandra Jordan <amjordan@mit.edu>, hwkns@mit.edu,
Adam Bockelie <bockelie@mit.edu>, Janet Li <jli12@mit.edu>,
Paul Youchak <youchakp@mit.edu>, Catherine Olsson <catherio@mit.edu>,
Andrew Lukmann <lukymann@mit.edu>, Alex Schwendner <alexrs@mit.edu>,
"Alex Dehnert (UA Treasurer)" <ua-treasurer@mit.edu>,
ua-senate@mit.edu, ua-discuss@mit.edu
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Lol... if you insist to play this game:
1. It was not coincidence?... I convinced my boss to let us give away FREE
JetBlue tickets to people at our events?... Yet I fail to see how this even
applies to this argument, in that this was the complete OPPOSITE of taking
funds from Council in that we saved funds on sponsorship and prizes.
In response to RingComm, this too is not an example of them stealing any
funding in that they are offered these rings in the companies attempt to
maintain good relations with MIT. Though, in my mind there is a difference
in a Dean offering to take a member of the UA out to dinner due to their
position, for example, compared to paying for dinner with UA funds.
2. If you would like a tentative budget, you can have it. We are currently
awaiting the deposit of Career Fair funds before we post the final draft, as
our money is not all from one source and there are still Info Sessions and
Interview Space being negotiated/paid for by companies.
-Jason
On Thu, Oct 15, 2009 at 1:06 AM, Rachel E Meyer <remeyer@mit.edu> wrote:
> 1. Ok, I'll just assume that it's a complete coincidence that there have
> been 2010 events with JetBlue sponsorship. And, for what it's worth, that
> was just one example. There's also other things from free rings for
> RingComm members to preferred seating at Senior Ball for council members and
> friends.
>
> 2. Where? I can't seem to find it on your website, maybe I'm just
> sleep-depped.
>
> -Rachel
>
>
> On Thu, 15 Oct 2009, Jason Scott wrote:
>
> 1. Let's not go by hearsay. I got perks from JetBlue as an intern for them
>> last year. (lol. wow at that rumor though)
>>
>> 2. Our budget is public knowledge. You can see it at any time. :)
>>
>> Best,
>> Jason
>>
>>
>>
>> On Thu, Oct 15, 2009 at 12:53 AM, Rachel E Meyer <remeyer@mit.edu> wrote:
>> 1. Just to be repetive... the UA: Senate, Exec, /14/ standing
>> committees, and /5/ ad-hoc committees (for a total of 21 bodies of at least
>> 5-8 people) spends less than 6k on food per semester. This is very
>> different than even 20 people involved in a class council and related
>> committees spending 30k on food.
>>
>> Also, in the Financial Policy Review Committee (FPRC) report it is
>> stipulated that committees must announce all their meetings and make
>> the food they get available to anyone who wants to show up for the
>> meeting. This is very important to me. I know that I could go to
>> roughly any UA meeting to listen to the discussion and share whatever
>> food the committee might have ordered.
>>
>> One more point on this matter: this is what is /budgetted/ for food,
>> not what is actually spent. Food expenses are fairly hard to predict
>> and these budgets are upper limits, normally a lot less is actually
>> spent.
>>
>>
>> 2. I'd like to look at the class council budgets before making any
>> comments about how they are superior to the UA operating budget simply
>> because they don't budget for meeting food.
>>
>>
>> 3. A question to Jason and other class council members to which this
>> might apply, what about the perks you get? I hear that corporations
>> like JetBlue give some pretty lush deal to council presidents/members
>> for sponsorship deals with respect to council events. Could you
>> clarify about such perks?
>>
>>
>> -Rachel
>> (ASA President, HistComm Chair, FPRC member)
>>
>>
>>
>> ps - short committee meetings? My committee meeting today was
>> relatively short tonight - just over 3 hours! (and that was after an exec
>> meeting, and some weeks I have another meeting or two before or after
>> those)
>>
>> pps - and this doesn't begin to account for out-of-meeting
>> committments. For example, this weekend alone, some of the UA officers spent
>> more than /40 hours/ working on a report. And this isn't even way
>> out of the ordinary.
>>
>>
>> On Thu, 15 Oct 2009, Alexandra Jordan wrote:
>>
>> I agree with Hawkins. The UA is a large organization, that
>> cumulatively puts in hundreds of hours for the undergrads per week, with
>> some individuals
>> putting in well over even a normal 40 hour work week during the more
>> stressful periods (example: Exec officers and the Budget Task
>> Force position
>> pieces, example: DPC report compilation). Providing basics (like
>> food, a productive meeting space, etc.) for people to perform work
>> on behalf of 4,000
>> students is completely within reason. If you're looking to cut fat
>> out of the budget, it shouldn't be at the expense of the quality
>> of working
>> conditions for the people who are representing undergraduates to the
>> administration to make life better at MIT. I also would agree
>> with Ashley's
>> assessment that student groups probably should fund certain events or
>> capital expenditures from other means, not only to ensure
>> sustainability and
>> longevity of the group, but also because many small student group
>> expenses benefit even fewer people than the UA food expenditures
>> we're discussing.
>> I also think it's relevant to recognize that the work of the UA is on
>> behalf of all undergrads, whereas many of the groups we fund
>> benefit and
>> represent extremely small segments of the population.
>>
>> Alex Jordan
>>
>> On Oct 15, 2009, at 12:17 AM, Daniel Hawkins wrote:
>>
>> This argument neglects the differences in size between the UA
>> and the senior class council, the difference in budget size, and
>> the
>> difference in man-hours of work. How often does the senior
>> class council meet? How long are the meetings? Surely none of
>> them are like
>> the 9.5-hour senate meeting we had at the end of last
>> semester... I think you're comparing very different things here.
>>
>> -hwkns
>>
>> On Thu, Oct 15, 2009 at 12:07 AM, Jason Scott <
>> jascott88@gmail.com> wrote:
>> I don't generally respond to these threads, but I just
>> feel somewhat strongly against food at meetings.
>>
>> Not once in our four years has our council sponsored food
>> at our meetings. If having food at meetings is so important for
>> efficiency, can people not simply bring their own food to
>> the meeting?
>>
>> I'm a strong believer in having committee members being
>> rewarded for hardwork/planning. But I think that 14% of a budget
>> spent
>> on the committee members themselves, is somewhat
>> excessive.
>>
>> How would people react if last year's senior class council
>> spent over $30K on food for only 8 people?
>>
>> -Jason
>>
>> On Wed, Oct 14, 2009 at 11:58 PM, Adam Bockelie <
>> bockelie@mit.edu> wrote:
>> I would disagree. Being part of a committee/senate/anything
>> else in the UA is a lot of work, and most people are already busy
>> with other activities. Having money to spend on food for a
>> meeting means that people can focus on getting work done, not on
>> searching for food between meetings. People on committees are
>> dedicated, and I don't think that food is generally an
>> incentive. But, I do think that food helps make meetings more
>> productive.
>>
>> Janet Li wrote:
>> I really like Catherine's idea of the collection jar for
>> food for Senate meetings. I also agree with Paul that it
>> doesn't seem all that necessary to have so much of our
>> budget go towards providing food at committee meetings.
>> People on committees should be dedicated enough to not
>> need food as an incentive to come to meetings, anyway.
>> ---
>> Janet Li
>> Baker Senator
>> MIT Class of 2012
>> Dept. of Biological Engineering
>>
>>
>> On Wed, Oct 14, 2009 at 11:07 PM, Paul Youchak <youchakp@mit.edu<mailto:
>> youchakp@mit.edu>> wrote:
>>
>> A few comments:
>>
>> A quick calculation for this years budget makes the cost spent on
>> food for meetings for various committees (and poland spring water)
>> to be 5675 dollars which is 14% of our budget. This seems to be a
>> pretty large sum and percentage. Saving this money and giving it
>> to
>> Finboard would be quite significant.
>>
>> I understand the logic in moving the Senate elections to the fall
>> so
>> that Freshmen could participate. This being said, I think it
>> would
>> be worth considering revising this and moving the elections back
>> to
>> the Spring. We could withhold a few open Freshman seats to be run
>> with the class council (independent of living group) allowing for
>> their inclusion in the fall as well. This process should allow
>> Senators for the coming year to be involved in the budgeting
>> process
>> and any other events which might be taking place. For instance
>> this
>> would have allowed for the Senators to help the Exec on the task
>> force report this year and get involved in other projects as soon
>> as
>> the school year begin. Returning senators would also feel a
>> greater
>> obligation to be involved instead of waiting for the fall session
>> to
>> start.
>>
>> I, being a new Senator this year, do feel that I have relatively
>> no
>> idea what is going on for these discussion and because of it do
>> not
>> feel it is my place to question the judgment of those who know
>> much
>> more about the topic than I.
>>
>> back to work,
>>
>> Paul
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Catherine Olsson wrote:
>>
>> I strongly agree with Alex S's sentiments that we should favor
>> putting money towards student groups instead of our own
>> initiatives. I think at the very least, as Andrew brought up,
>> we
>> should hold ourselves to the same standard as Finboard holds
>> student groups (which will be easier if Finboard's standards
>> become more clearly stated and publicized as recommended by
>> the
>> FPRC). If we don't hold ourselves to the same standards as the
>> groups we're withholding money from, then it seems clear to me
>> that the money is not going to its best use.*
>>
>> Thanks, Andrew, for the relevant history. Would it make sense
>> for us to extend the period of the summer budget through the
>> second meeting of the subsequent fall's Senate session? It
>> seems
>> like this would prevent money from being spent before the fall
>> budget is approved, as happened with Athletics Weekend and
>> other
>> expenditures this cycle.
>>
>> I would also be in favor of putting a collection jar out at
>> Senate, Exec, and committee meetings so that we can pay for
>> some
>> of our own food. I greatly appreciate having food at Senate
>> meetings, as it means I don't need to worry about finding
>> dinner
>> on an evening which is already very busy. However, paying a
>> few
>> bucks for the food I eat so that we aren't entirely taxing the
>> student body for meals most of them don't eat (even though
>> they're welcome to) seems very reasonable. Other students who
>> come to meetings would still be able to eat the food and would
>> be encouraged to chip in, too. Does anyone else agree?
>>
>> I'm very glad we're discussing this issue. Given that next
>> term's budgeting is starting soon, I think now is exactly the
>> right time to pull our thoughts together.
>>
>> - Catherine Olsson, Random Hall Senator and Senate
>> Representative to Finboard
>>
>>
>> *It should be noted that much of the funding denied to student
>> groups by Finboard is because the groups' proposals seem not
>> well-planned-out or not worth the money (such as t-shirts),
>> not
>> _because_ Finboard doesn't have enough money. But if Finboard
>> had more money, we could relax some of our guidelines,
>> enabling
>> us to fund more conferences, fund capital such as costumes and
>> musical instruments more than our current caps, fund more
>> travel, enable groups that maintain a library (such as MITSFS
>> and Anime Club) to acquire more new material, and allow groups
>> who wish to hold a vast number of events to hold all their
>> events and not just some.
>>
>>
>> Andrew Lukmann wrote:
>>
>> If Alex's sentiments are shared by a number of other new
>> senators... it might be time to re-investigate the timing
>> of
>> future budget approvals as well.
>>
>> History:
>> In the somewhat distant past (6-7+ years ago) Senate was
>> elected in the Spring with the incoming UA P/VP. As a
>> result, the incoming Senate and the incoming
>> administration
>> worked together to compile and approve a budget before the
>> Summer. However, with a number of changes to the living
>> group constituencies, most importantly Freshmen on Campus,
>> the decision was made to move Senate elections to the Fall
>> to allow freshmen to vote (and run in) the Senate contest.
>> From what I recall, the first year of this change, the
>> Fall
>> budget was actually voted upon by the outgoing Senate,
>> allowing the administration to have a complete and
>> approved
>> budget to operate on over the summer, during orientation
>> and
>> during the Fall term. This, however, served to largely
>> hamstring the newly-elected Senate regarding financial
>> policy until at least the Spring budget was discussed in
>> December. As a result, this was altered (about 5 years
>> ago)
>> to the current arrangement where the outgoing Senate (in
>> the
>> spring) grants an advance for the administration to
>> utilize
>> over the Summer/Orientation which is disbursed by the
>> ExecComm in lieu of Senate. Then the Fall budget is taken
>> up
>> and approved by the new Senate when it is finally
>> assembled
>> and called to order by early-mid October.
>>
>> Problems:
>> It seems that in an effort to address problems of the
>> past,
>> we in past UA administrations (and past sessions of
>> Senate)
>> have helped to create new problems. It seems that even
>> though the intent of moving Fall budget approval to the
>> Fall
>> was to empower new Senators, this has been less than
>> effective. New senators are just beginning to find their
>> way
>> and are reticent to question the wisdom of a budget handed
>> to them by more experienced officers like the President,
>> Treasurer and (often) Speaker. Situations are also
>> encountered where the executive assumes that certain
>> budgetary line items will be approved and preemptively
>> spends the money (such as Athletics Weekend), effectively
>> circumventing Senate's oversight responsibility. Not
>> having
>> an approved budget until mid October also hampers the
>> ability of the Executive and it's Committees to engage in
>> activities and programming early in the term.
>>
>> If other people in the UA agree that this is an important
>> enough issue, I encourage you to re-investigate the
>> possibility of making changes in the budget calendar and
>> taking a closer look at the pros and cons of different
>> options. In the end, the balance will almost always be
>> between empowering the current (or most recently) elected
>> representatives and having an experienced enough group of
>> Senators calling the shots that they can serve as a
>> meaningful check against executive overreaching or
>> "mission
>> creep."
>>
>> Yours in the UA,
>> Andrew L.
>>
>>
>> Alex Schwendner wrote:
>>
>> I would like to advocate that our budgeting goal
>> should
>> be to allocate
>> more money to student groups. Here's why:
>>
>> Our goal, as the Undergraduate Association, is to make
>> things better
>> for undergraduates. When it comes to money, this means
>> that we should
>> see that money gets spent on the things which most
>> benefit MIT
>> undergraduates. This might mean that we spend the
>> money
>> ourselves or
>> this might mean that we give it to student groups who
>> can use it.
>> There are plenty of student groups who do wonderful
>> and
>> amazing
>> things. All of us can think of student groups which
>> get
>> much of their
>> funding from the UA which have made our time at MIT
>> more
>> worthwhile.
>> Our goal, as the UA, should not be to do awesome
>> things,
>> but rather to
>> see that awesome things get done.
>>
>> Sometimes, of course, this will mean that we should
>> spend money on
>> projects conceived by the UA and sometimes this will
>> mean that we
>> should give money to student groups. However, there is
>> a
>> natural,
>> institutional bias toward spending the money
>> ourselves.
>> We need to
>> fight that bias. Since we, the UA, get first crack at
>> the money, it's
>> easy to think of cool things which we can do with the
>> money while
>> forgetting about the very real and very cool things
>> which student
>> groups will *not* be able to do without that money. We
>> can see this
>> "mission creep" in UA funding in the way that the
>> money
>> allocated to
>> UA committees has increased in past years. Yes, the UA
>> does more with
>> the increased money, but it is not always clear that
>> it's spent better
>> than it could be spent by student groups. The
>> standards
>> which hold for
>> receiving funding from the UA general budget should be
>> analogous to
>> the standards which hold for receiving funding from UA
>> Finboard. I
>> will note that while UA committees received basically
>> everything that
>> they asked for in the Fall UA budget, student groups
>> which applied to
>> UA Finboard received less than 30% of their requests
>> in
>> the most
>> recent funding cycle.
>>
>> Therefore, during the Spring 2010 budgeting process, I
>> intend to push
>> for allocating more money for student groups. Projects
>> which we choose
>> not to fund from the UA general budget can seek
>> funding
>> through UA
>> Finboard, from LEF or ARCADE, from the MIT
>> Administration, or from
>> other funding sources.
>>
>> Please discuss.
>>
>> Alex Schwendner
>>
>> On Wed, Oct 14, 2009 at 12:52 AM, Alex Dehnert (UA
>> Treasurer)
>> <ua-treasurer@mit.edu <mailto:ua-treasurer@mit.edu>>
>> wrote:
>>
>> As several people have pointed out, the UA
>> spends quite a bit of money on
>> events (about a third of last semester's
>> budget)
>> and focused projects (like
>> PLUS --- about a tenth of last semester's UA
>> budget). As Andrew Lukmann
>> pointed out last week, committees are spending
>> almost twice as much in Fall
>> 2009's budget as in Spring 2007's budget.
>>
>> Unfortunately, it is now a little bit late to
>> make major changes to the
>> Fall 2009 budget. Last week's meeting was
>> intended to allow that, and we
>> spent a great deal of time on it then. I also
>> solicited feedback late Friday
>> night (or really Saturday morning), and didn't
>> receive any. Of course, you
>> are well within your rights to amend the
>> budget
>> at this point. (Though
>> Athletics Weekend has already happened, so I'd
>> rather you didn't amend
>> that...)
>>
>> However, the Spring 2010 budget has not begun
>> being compiled. In preparing
>> the the Fall 2009 budget, I (and I believe
>> committee chairs and the Special
>> Budgetary Committee) generally followed
>> precedent as to events and amounts.
>>
>> In some sense, there are (at least) two
>> options
>> for guiding principles to
>> take in producing the budget:
>> (1) Many of the UA-run events are more useful
>> than the events and
>> programming (Finboard-funded) student groups
>> would spend the money on
>> (2) Alternatively, that events and programs
>> such
>> as Athletics Weekend or
>> PLUS aren't worth taking the money away from
>> those student groups
>>
>> We've recently been defaulting to the former
>> guiding principle. However, I
>> would encourage the Senate to seriously
>> consider
>> which is preferable and
>> pass appropriate legislation indicating a
>> preference.
>>
>> I would be *thrilled* to have such guidance,
>> and
>> would happily incorporate
>> it into next semester's budget. (I warn you,
>> however, that committee chairs
>> will probably be asked to begin budgeting in
>> about two weeks.)
>>
>> Thanks,
>> Alex Dehnert
>> UA Treasurer
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> Adam Bockelie
>> 801.209.7233
>> <bockelie@mit.edu>
>>
>> Massachusetts Institute of Technology
>> Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
>> Class of 2011
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> Jason Alexander Scott
>> Class Council President
>> MIT Class of 2010
>>
>>
>>
>> __________________________________
>> Alexandra Jordan
>>
>> MIT 2011
>> Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Science
>> Political Science
>>
>> amjordan@mit.edu
>> 916.813.7740
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> Jason Alexander Scott
>> Class Council President
>> MIT Class of 2010
>>
>>
>>
--
Jason Alexander Scott
Class Council President
MIT Class of 2010
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Lol... if you insist to play this game:<br><br>1. It was not coincidence?..=
. I convinced my boss to let us give away FREE JetBlue tickets to people at=
our events?... Yet I fail to see how this even applies to this argument, i=
n that this was the complete OPPOSITE of taking funds from Council in that =
we saved funds on sponsorship and prizes.<br>
<br>In response to RingComm, this too is not an example of them stealing an=
y funding in that they are offered these rings in the companies attempt to =
maintain good relations with MIT. Though, in my mind there is a difference =
in a Dean offering to take a member of the UA out to dinner due to their po=
sition, for example, compared to paying for dinner with UA funds.<br>
<br>2. If you would like a tentative budget, you can have it. We are curren=
tly awaiting the deposit of Career Fair funds before we post the final draf=
t, as our money is not all from one source and there are still Info Session=
s and Interview Space being negotiated/paid for by companies.<br>
<br>-Jason<br><br><div class=3D"gmail_quote">On Thu, Oct 15, 2009 at 1:06 A=
M, Rachel E Meyer <span dir=3D"ltr"><<a href=3D"mailto:remeyer@mit.edu">=
remeyer@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 0.8=
ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
1. =A0Ok, I'll just assume that it's a complete coincidence that th=
ere have been 2010 events with JetBlue sponsorship. =A0And, for what it'=
;s worth, that was just one example. =A0There's also other things from =
free rings for RingComm members to preferred seating at Senior Ball for cou=
ncil members and friends.<br>
<br>
2. =A0Where? =A0I can't seem to find it on your website, maybe I'm =
just sleep-depped.<br><font color=3D"#888888">
<br>
-Rachel</font><div><div></div><div class=3D"h5"><br>
<br>
On Thu, 15 Oct 2009, Jason Scott wrote:<br>
<br>
<blockquote class=3D"gmail_quote" style=3D"border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, =
204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
1. Let's not go by hearsay. I got perks from JetBlue as an intern for t=
hem last year. (lol. wow at that rumor though)<br>
<br>
2. Our budget is public knowledge. You can see it at any time. :)<br>
<br>
Best,<br>
Jason<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
On Thu, Oct 15, 2009 at 12:53 AM, Rachel E Meyer <<a href=3D"mailto:reme=
yer@mit.edu" target=3D"_blank">remeyer@mit.edu</a>> wrote:<br>
=A0 =A0 =A01. Just to be repetive... =A0the UA: Senate, Exec, /14/ standin=
g committees, and /5/ ad-hoc committees (for a total of 21 bodies of at lea=
st<br>
=A0 =A0 =A05-8 people) spends less than 6k on food per semester. =A0This i=
s very different than even 20 people involved in a class council and relate=
d<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0committees spending 30k on food.<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0Also, in the Financial Policy Review Committee (FPRC) report it=
is stipulated that committees must announce all their meetings and make<br=
>
=A0 =A0 =A0the food they get available to anyone who wants to show up for =
the meeting. This is very important to me. =A0 I know that I could go to<br=
>
=A0 =A0 =A0roughly any UA meeting to listen to the discussion and share wh=
atever food the committee might have ordered.<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0One more point on this matter: this is what is /budgetted/ for =
food, not what is actually spent. =A0Food expenses are fairly hard to predi=
ct<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0and these budgets are upper limits, normally a lot less is actu=
ally spent.<br>
<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A02. =A0I'd like to look at the class council budgets before =
making any comments about how they are superior to the UA operating budget =
simply<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0because they don't budget for meeting food.<br>
<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A03. =A0A question to Jason and other class council members to wh=
ich this might apply, what about the perks you get? =A0I hear that corporat=
ions<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0like JetBlue give some pretty lush deal to council presidents/m=
embers for sponsorship deals with respect to council events. =A0Could you<b=
r>
=A0 =A0 =A0clarify about such perks?<br>
<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0-Rachel<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0(ASA President, HistComm Chair, FPRC member)<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0ps - short committee meetings? =A0My committee meeting today wa=
s relatively short tonight - just over 3 hours! =A0(and that was after an e=
xec<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0meeting, and some weeks I have another meeting or two before or=
after those)<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0pps - and this doesn't begin to account for out-of-meeting =
committments. For example, this weekend alone, some of the UA officers spen=
t<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0more than /40 hours/ working on a report. =A0And this isn't=
even way out of the ordinary.<br>
<br>
<br>
On Thu, 15 Oct 2009, Alexandra Jordan wrote:<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0I agree with Hawkins. The UA is a large organization, that cumu=
latively puts in hundreds of hours for the undergrads per week, with<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0some individuals<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0putting in well over even a normal 40 hour work week during the=
more stressful periods (example: Exec officers and the Budget Task<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0Force position<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0pieces, example: DPC report compilation). Providing basics (lik=
e food, a productive meeting space, etc.) for people to perform work<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0on behalf of 4,000<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0students 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<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0of working<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0conditions for the people who are representing undergraduates t=
o the administration to make life better at MIT. I also would agree<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0with Ashley's<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0assessment that student groups probably should fund certain eve=
nts or capital expenditures from other means, not only to ensure<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0sustainability and<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0longevity of the group, but also because many small student gro=
up expenses benefit even fewer people than the UA food expenditures<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0we're discussing.<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0I also think it's relevant to recognize that the work of th=
e UA is on behalf of all undergrads, whereas many of the groups we fund<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0benefit and<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0represent extremely small segments of the population.<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0Alex Jordan<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0On Oct 15, 2009, at 12:17 AM, Daniel Hawkins wrote:<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0This argument neglects the differences in size betwe=
en the UA and the senior class council, the difference in budget size, and<=
br>
=A0 =A0 =A0the<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0difference in man-hours of work.=A0 How often does t=
he senior class council meet?=A0 How long are the meetings?=A0 Surely none =
of<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0them are like<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0the 9.5-hour senate meeting we had at the end of las=
t semester...=A0 I think you're comparing very different things here.<b=
r>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0-hwkns<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0On Thu, Oct 15, 2009 at 12:07 AM, Jason Scott <<a=
href=3D"mailto:jascott88@gmail.com" target=3D"_blank">jascott88@gmail.com<=
/a>> wrote:<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0I don't generally respond to these t=
hreads, but I just feel somewhat strongly against food at meetings.<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Not once in our four years has our counc=
il sponsored food at our meetings. If having food at meetings is so importa=
nt for<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0efficiency, can people not simply bring =
their own food to the meeting?<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0I'm a strong believer in having comm=
ittee members being rewarded for hardwork/planning. But I think that 14% of=
a budget<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0spent<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0on the committee members themselves, is =
somewhat excessive.<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0How would people react if last year'=
s senior class council spent over $30K on food for only 8 people?<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0-Jason<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0On Wed, Oct 14, 2009 at 11:58 PM, Adam B=
ockelie <<a href=3D"mailto:bockelie@mit.edu" target=3D"_blank">bockelie@=
mit.edu</a>> wrote:<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0I would disagree. =A0Being part of a committee/senat=
e/anything else in the UA is a lot of work, and most people are already bus=
y<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0with other activities. =A0Having money to spend on f=
ood for a meeting means that people can focus on getting work done, not on<=
br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0searching for food between =A0meetings. =A0People on=
committees are dedicated, and I don't think that food is generally an<=
br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0incentive. =A0But, I do think that food helps make m=
eetings more productive.<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0Janet Li wrote:<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0I really like Catherine's idea of th=
e collection jar for food for Senate meetings. I also agree with Paul that =
it<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0doesn't seem all that necessary to h=
ave so much of our budget go towards providing food at committee meetings.<=
br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0People on committees should be dedicated=
enough to not need food as an incentive to come to meetings, anyway.<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0---<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Janet Li<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Baker Senator<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0MIT Class of 2012<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Dept. of Biological Engineering<br>
<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0On Wed, Oct 14, 2009 at 11:07 PM, Paul Youchak <<a href=3D"m=
ailto:youchakp@mit.edu" target=3D"_blank">youchakp@mit.edu</a> <mailto:<=
a href=3D"mailto:youchakp@mit.edu" target=3D"_blank">youchakp@mit.edu</a>&g=
t;> wrote:<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0A few comments:<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0A quick calculation for this years budget makes the cost=
spent on<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0food for meetings for various committees (and poland spr=
ing water)<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0to be 5675 dollars which is 14% of our budget. =A0This s=
eems to be a<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0pretty large sum and percentage. =A0Saving this money an=
d giving it to<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0Finboard would be quite significant.<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0I understand the logic in moving the Senate elections to=
the fall so<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0that Freshmen could participate. =A0This being said, I t=
hink it would<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0be worth considering revising this and moving the electi=
ons back to<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0the Spring. =A0We could withhold a few open Freshman sea=
ts to be run<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0with the class council (independent of living group) all=
owing for<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0their inclusion in the fall as well. =A0This process sho=
uld allow<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0Senators for the coming year to be involved in the budge=
ting process<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0and any other events which might be taking place. =A0For=
instance this<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0would have allowed for the Senators to help the Exec on =
the task<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0force report this year and get involved in other project=
s as soon as<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0the school year begin. =A0Returning senators would also =
feel a greater<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0obligation to be involved instead of waiting for the fal=
l session to<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0start.<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0I, being a new Senator this year, do feel that I have re=
latively no<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0idea what is going on for these discussion and because o=
f it do not<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0feel it is my place to question the judgment of those wh=
o know much<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0more about the topic than I.<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0back to work,<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0Paul<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0Catherine Olsson wrote:<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0I strongly agree with Alex S's sentiments th=
at we should favor<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0putting money towards student groups instead of =
our own<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0initiatives. I think at the very least, as Andre=
w brought up, we<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0should hold ourselves to the same standard as Fi=
nboard holds<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0student groups (which will be easier if Finboard=
's standards<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0become more clearly stated and publicized as rec=
ommended by the<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0FPRC). If we don't hold ourselves to the sam=
e standards as the<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0groups we're withholding money from, then it=
seems clear to me<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0that the money is not going to its best use.*<br=
>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Thanks, Andrew, for the relevant history. Would =
it make sense<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0for us to extend the period of the summer budget=
through the<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0second meeting of the subsequent fall's Sena=
te session? It seems<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0like this would prevent money from being spent b=
efore the fall<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0budget is approved, as happened with Athletics W=
eekend and other<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0expenditures this cycle.<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0I would also be in favor of putting a collection=
jar out at<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Senate, Exec, and committee meetings so that we =
can pay for some<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0of our own food. I greatly appreciate having foo=
d at Senate<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0meetings, as it means I don't need to worry =
about finding dinner<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0on an evening which is already very busy. Howeve=
r, paying a few<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0bucks for the food I eat so that we aren't e=
ntirely taxing the<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0student body for meals most of them don't ea=
t (even though<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0they're welcome to) seems very reasonable. O=
ther students who<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0come to meetings would still be able to eat the =
food and would<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0be encouraged to chip in, too. Does anyone else =
agree?<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0I'm very glad we're discussing this issu=
e. Given that next<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0term's budgeting is starting soon, I think n=
ow is exactly the<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0right time to pull our thoughts together.<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0- Catherine Olsson, Random Hall Senator and Sena=
te<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Representative to Finboard<br>
<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0*It should be noted that much of the funding den=
ied to student<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0groups by Finboard is because the groups' pr=
oposals seem not<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0well-planned-out or not worth the money (such as=
t-shirts), not<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0_because_ Finboard doesn't have enough money=
. But if Finboard<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0had more money, we could relax some of our guide=
lines, enabling<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0us to fund more conferences, fund capital such a=
s costumes and<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0musical instruments more than our current caps, =
fund more<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0travel, enable groups that maintain a library (s=
uch as MITSFS<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0and Anime Club) to acquire more new material, an=
d allow groups<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0who wish to hold a vast number of events to hold=
all their<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0events and not just some.<br>
<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Andrew Lukmann wrote:<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0If Alex's sentiments are shared by a=
number of other new<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0senators... it might be time to re-inves=
tigate the timing of<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0future budget approvals as well.<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0History:<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0In the somewhat distant past (6-7+ years=
ago) Senate was<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0elected in the Spring with the incoming =
UA P/VP. As a<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0result, the incoming Senate and the inco=
ming administration<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0worked together to compile and approve a=
budget before the<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Summer. However, with a number of change=
s to the living<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0group constituencies, most importantly F=
reshmen on Campus,<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0the decision was made to move Senate ele=
ctions to the Fall<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0to allow freshmen to vote (and run in) t=
he Senate contest.<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=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 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0budget was actually voted upon by the ou=
tgoing Senate,<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0allowing the administration to have a co=
mplete and approved<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0budget to operate on over the summer, du=
ring orientation and<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0during the Fall term. This, however, ser=
ved to largely<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0hamstring the newly-elected Senate regar=
ding financial<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0policy until at least the Spring budget =
was discussed in<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0December. As a result, this was altered =
(about 5 years ago)<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0to the current arrangement where the out=
going Senate (in the<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0spring) grants an advance for the admini=
stration to utilize<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0over the Summer/Orientation which is dis=
bursed by the<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0ExecComm in lieu of Senate. Then the Fal=
l budget is taken up<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0and approved by the new Senate when it i=
s finally assembled<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0and called to order by early-mid October=
.<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Problems:<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0It seems that in an effort to address pr=
oblems of the past,<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0we in past UA administrations (and past =
sessions of Senate)<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0have helped to create new problems. It s=
eems that even<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0though the intent of moving Fall budget =
approval to the Fall<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0was to empower new Senators, this has be=
en less than<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0effective. New senators are just beginni=
ng to find their way<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0and are reticent to question the wisdom =
of a budget handed<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0to them by more experienced officers lik=
e the President,<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Treasurer and (often) Speaker. Situation=
s are also<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0encountered where the executive assumes =
that certain<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0budgetary line items will be approved an=
d preemptively<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0spends the money (such as Athletics Week=
end), effectively<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0circumventing Senate's oversight res=
ponsibility. Not having<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0an approved budget until mid October als=
o hampers the<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0ability of the Executive and it's Co=
mmittees to engage in<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0activities and programming early in the =
term.<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0If other people in the UA agree that thi=
s is an important<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0enough issue, I encourage you to re-inve=
stigate the<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0possibility of making changes in the bud=
get calendar and<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0taking a closer look at the pros and con=
s of different<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0options. In the end, the balance will al=
most always be<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0between empowering the current (or most =
recently) elected<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0representatives and having an experience=
d enough group of<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Senators calling the shots that they can=
serve as a<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0meaningful check against executive overr=
eaching or "mission<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0creep."<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Yours in the UA,<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Andrew L.<br>
<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Alex Schwendner wrote:<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0I would like to advocate that ou=
r budgeting goal should<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0be to allocate<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0more money to student groups. He=
re's why:<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=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 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0things better<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0for undergraduates. When it come=
s to money, this means<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0that we should<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=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 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0benefit MIT<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0undergraduates. This might mean =
that we spend the money<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0ourselves or<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=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 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0can use it.<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0There are plenty of student grou=
ps who do wonderful and<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0amazing<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0things. All of us can think of s=
tudent groups which get<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0much of their<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0funding from the UA which have m=
ade our time at MIT more<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0worthwhile.<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=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 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0but rather to<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0see that awesome things get done=
.<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Sometimes, of course, this will =
mean that we should<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0spend money on<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0projects conceived by the UA and=
sometimes this will<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0mean that we<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0should give money to student gro=
ups. However, there is a<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0natural,<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0institutional bias toward spendi=
ng the money ourselves.<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0We need to<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0fight that bias. Since we, the U=
A, get first crack at<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0the money, it's<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0easy to think of cool things whi=
ch we can do with the<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0money while<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0forgetting about the very real a=
nd very cool things<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0which student<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=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 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0can see this<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0"mission creep" in UA =
funding in the way that the money<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0allocated to<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0UA committees has increased in p=
ast years. Yes, the UA<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0does more with<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0the increased money, but it is n=
ot always clear that<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0it's spent better<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0than it could be spent by studen=
t groups. The standards<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0which hold for<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0receiving funding from the UA ge=
neral budget should be<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0analogous to<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0the standards which hold for rec=
eiving funding from UA<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Finboard. I<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0will note that while UA committe=
es received basically<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0everything that<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0they asked for in the Fall UA bu=
dget, student groups<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0which applied to<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0UA Finboard received less than 3=
0% of their requests in<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0the most<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0recent funding cycle.<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Therefore, during the Spring 201=
0 budgeting process, I<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0intend to push<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0for allocating more money for st=
udent groups. Projects<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0which we choose<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0not to fund from the UA general =
budget can seek funding<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0through UA<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Finboard, from LEF or ARCADE, fr=
om the MIT<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Administration, or from<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0other funding sources.<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Please discuss.<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Alex Schwendner<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=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 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Treasurer)<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0<<a href=3D"mailto:ua-treasur=
er@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 =A0 =A0 =A0<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0As several peopl=
e have pointed out, the UA<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0spends quite a b=
it of money on<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0events (about a =
third of last semester's budget)<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0and focused proj=
ects (like<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0PLUS --- about a=
tenth of last semester's UA<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0budget). As Andr=
ew Lukmann<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=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 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0almost twice as =
much in Fall<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A02009's budge=
t as in Spring 2007's budget.<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Unfortunately, i=
t is now a little bit late to<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0make major chang=
es to the<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=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 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0intended to allo=
w that, and we<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0spent a great de=
al of time on it then. I also<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0solicited feedba=
ck late Friday<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0night (or really=
Saturday morning), and didn't<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0receive any. Of =
course, you<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0are well within =
your rights to amend the budget<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=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 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Athletics Weeken=
d has already happened, so I'd<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0rather you didn&=
#39;t amend<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=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 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0However, the Spr=
ing 2010 budget has not begun<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0being compiled. =
In preparing<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0the the Fall 200=
9 budget, I (and I believe<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0committee chairs=
and the Special<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Budgetary Commit=
tee) generally followed<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=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 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0In some sense, t=
here are (at least) two options<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0for guiding prin=
ciples to<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0take in producin=
g the budget:<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0(1) Many of the =
UA-run events are more useful<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=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 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0programming (Fin=
board-funded) student groups<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=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 =A0 =A0 =A0(2) Alternativel=
y, that events and programs such<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0as Athletics Wee=
kend or<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0PLUS aren't =
worth taking the money away from<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0those student gr=
oups<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0We've recent=
ly been defaulting to the former<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0guiding principl=
e. However, I<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=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 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0which is prefera=
ble and<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0pass appropriate=
legislation indicating a<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0preference.<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=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 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0would happily in=
corporate<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0it into next sem=
ester's budget. (I warn you,<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0however, that co=
mmittee chairs<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=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 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0about two weeks.=
)<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Thanks,<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=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 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0UA Treasurer<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0--<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0Adam Bockelie<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0801.209.7233<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0<<a href=3D"mailto:bockelie@mit.edu" target=3D"_blank">bocke=
lie@mit.edu</a>><br>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0Massachusetts Institute of Technology<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0Class of 2011<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0--<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0Jason Alexander Scott<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0Class Council President<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0MIT Class of 2010<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0__________________________________<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0Alexandra Jordan<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0MIT 2011<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Science<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0Political Science<br>
<br>
=A0 =A0 =A0<a href=3D"mailto:amjordan@mit.edu" target=3D"_blank">amjordan@=
mit.edu</a><br>
=A0 =A0 =A0916.813.7740<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
--<br>
Jason Alexander Scott<br>
Class Council President<br>
MIT Class of 2010<br>
<br>
<br>
</blockquote>
</div></div></blockquote></div><br><br clear=3D"all"><br>-- <br>Jason Alexa=
nder Scott<br>Class Council President<br>MIT Class of 2010<br><br>
--0016e646155ab8e2fd0475f25e05--
