[156] in UA Senate
Re: 41UAS2.3: Bill to Authorize the Treasurer to Reallocate Money to Student Groups
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Alexandra Jordan)
Mon Oct 19 21:35:32 2009
Cc: UA Senate <ua-senate@mit.edu>
From: Alexandra Jordan <amjordan@MIT.EDU>
To: Alex Dehnert <adehnert@mit.edu>
In-Reply-To: <4ADD0FD6.5000600@mit.edu>
Date: Mon, 19 Oct 2009 21:35:10 -0400
Hi Senators.
I would like to submit two points for you to consider before we =20
discuss this bill at the next meeting:
1. Approving this bill would allow Committee Chairs and the Treasurer =20=
to completely eliminate certain line items from the budget. If the =20
Senate approves $800 to Committee A for a project, then that means =20
Senate has placed value in this project and expects it to at least be =20=
attempted, if not completed. I believe that this possibility, of =20
eliminating line items for entire projects, is distinct from simply =20
transferring over excess funds from completed projects. I do not think =20=
that two people should be able to change the budget in this way =20
without the approval of Senate.
2. Previous committee budgets set a precedent for future budgets. =20
Reducing committee budgets midterm would almost certainly create a =20
new, lower precedent that would be difficult for the next committee =20
chair to increase or change. Senate often relies on precedent to make =20=
budget approval decisions, since Senators do not often have intimate =20
knowledge of committee inner workings. I think it is important to take =20=
this into consideration since many committee budgets will be reduced =20
by passing this bill.
Alex Jordan
Sorority Senator
On Oct 19, 2009, at 9:18 PM, Alex Dehnert wrote:
> Since we postponed this a week...
>
> If you have questions: Please ask them explicitly. Otherwise, no =20
> guarantee that you'll get an answer... I'm not psychic.
>
> I'll probably put together some more information shortly, but I =20
> encourage some discussion to happen here besides that.
>
> ~~Alex
>
> Alex Dehnert wrote:
>> I wrote a bill which is available at =
http://web.mit.edu/ua/senate/UAS41/2/moving-money/moving-money.pdf=20
>> .
>> The bill authorizes the treasurer to:
>> * reallocate funds from a committee to the pool of funds that the =20
>> Finance Board helps allocate to student groups for the next funding =20=
>> period; and
>> * Requires that such reallocations be approved by the committee =20
>> chair losing said funds; and
>> * That the Senate, Finance Board, and affected Chair must be =20
>> informed of each such reallocation; and
>> * That such authorization shall expire at the end of the 2009=962010 =20=
>> fiscal year unless renewed by Senate.
>> I'm happy to answer any questions that you have. It would be =20
>> awesome if we can get most questions out *before* Senate, so that =20
>> Senate can be short without being much less effective.
>> ~~Alex
>
__________________________________
Alexandra Jordan
MIT 2011
Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Science
Political Science
amjordan@mit.edu
916.813.7740
