The Undergraduate Senate approved the AU Student Government's $590,400 budget Sunday for the 2009-2010 academic year, increasing allocations to the Student Union Board, Founders Day and Women's Initiative.
The bill raises the SUB budget to $170,750, compared to $165,750 this year. About $5,000 will go to fix the Tavern's speaker system.
"Despite a rocky start ... SUB does have a strong foundation and what appears to be a strong future," said Class of 2010 Sen. Steve Dalton, chair of the Special Committee on Budget.
The Founders' Day budget was raised from $27,000 to $40,000 due to rising expectations about Founders' Day Ball.
"We feel this amount is not only fair but essential to provide the event AU students expect," Dalton said.
The Kennedy Political Union's budget rose to $173,150, the largest SG allotment. KPU's current budget is $165,000. While some senators expressed concern that the amount was not as high as originally expected due to the $5,000 SUB requested to repair the Tavern sound system, KPU Director Bill DeBaun said the amount would be sufficient. A few co-sponsorships could make up the difference, he said.
"KPU should to continue to nurture that reputation as a banner organization that we can be proud of," Dalton said, labeling the organization SG's "flagship."
The AUTO budget was also raised by about $1,000, an amount that will move AUTO closer to purchasing a new van.
The 2012 and 2011 class councils both received $1,000 for the upcoming year. The 2010 class council received $13,000 to help the students fundraise for their senior gift and senior week. The budget allocated no additional funds to the Class of 2011 because they have a significant amount in the bank already, Dalton said.
During the meeting, the senate also unanimously approved Will Hubbard, a sophomore in the School of International Service, as the 2009-2010 KPU director. Hubbard is KPU's current logistics coordinator.
The senate also unanimously passed a bill to create a temporary committee that would seek to procure scholarship money for ROTC students removed from the program by "don't ask, don't tell." The scholarship would provide money for one student to finish out the academic year if dismissed from ROTC due to sexual orientation. The committee will look for a way to fund he scholarship, possibly through reallocating funds of private donations, according to Class of 2010 Sen. Jordan Boyd.
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