[116] in UA Senate
Re: UA budgeting principles
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Jason Scott)
Thu Oct 15 01:21:56 2009
X-Barracuda-Envelope-From: jascott88@gmail.com
In-Reply-To: <77a604f90910142215s3d9bab91s9300c44bd4d440e8@mail.gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 15 Oct 2009 01:21:15 -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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However, if it makes you feel better, Kerri Mills in the SAO went through
our budget on Tuesday, and also has complete access to all of our spending
records.
Best,
-JS
On Thu, Oct 15, 2009 at 1:15 AM, Jason Scott <jascott88@gmail.com> wrote:
> 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
>
>
--
Jason Alexander Scott
Class Council President
MIT Class of 2010
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However, if it makes you feel better, Kerri Mills in the SAO went through o=
ur budget on Tuesday, and also has complete access to all of our spending r=
ecords. <br><br>Best,<br>-JS<br><br><div class=3D"gmail_quote">On Thu, Oct =
15, 2009 at 1:15 AM, Jason Scott <span dir=3D"ltr"><<a href=3D"mailto:ja=
scott88@gmail.com">jascott88@gmail.com</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;">Lol... if you ins=
ist 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?... Y=
et I fail to see how this even applies to this argument, in that this was t=
he 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>
<font color=3D"#888888">
<br>-Jason</font><div><div></div><div class=3D"h5"><br><br><div class=3D"gm=
ail_quote">On Thu, Oct 15, 2009 at 1:06 AM, Rachel E Meyer <span dir=3D"ltr=
"><<a href=3D"mailto:remeyer@mit.edu" target=3D"_blank">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 0.8ex; 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><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></div></div>-- <br=
><div><div></div><div class=3D"h5">Jason Alexander Scott<br>Class Council P=
resident<br>MIT Class of 2010<br><br>
</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>
--0016363b925ed3c3700475f272ac--
