A rather uneventful debate in the second meeting of the 90th session of Student Senate Wednesday night ended with the amending of a government bill that was adopted during the final meeting of the 89th session, as the Senate eased restrictions on how surplus funds would be distributed.
The Finance Committee Surplus policy was amended March 24, specifying that any surplus remaining after 60 percent of funds are distributed through the appropriations process should be put “towards the co-sponsorship of on-campus events directly benefitting the campus community.”
Sen. Jason Hayes said the wording of the bill was too restrictive and proposed the legislation simply give the money to the Finance Committee so committee members could distribute the funds as they saw fit. He sponsored the amendment that was approved Wednesday after a further amendment.
“We’re all senators and we can make good decisions,” Hayes said during the debate on the bill. “This just fixes it so the money goes to the finance committee, and it’s up to the finance committee what they use the money for. The reason I wrote it this way is so it’s not specific.”
The original wording indicated the funds had to be spent for on-campus events, which could exclude events like Homecoming and approving money for other organizations, such as the Finance Committee’s approval of funds to aid the club men’s rugby team in its travel to a national competition. The final, approved version of the amendment stated the Finance Committee had to put the funds toward a “student initiative.”
“What this bill does is money will go back to some student initiative or cause to make sure students are getting what they paid for,” Sen. Scott Goldsmith said. “By saying student initiative, you’re making sure the money goes back to students, but you’re keeping it broad enough that we can help students in whatever capacity we need.”
Goldsmith said the wording also would prevent money from being earmarked for SG office supplies, refreshments or for self-serving interests like Jim Ceresnak’s $3,000 Student Government Rebranding Act last September. The Finance Committee, with the Senate’s approval, gave Ceresnak funds to benefit a rebranding act to promote SG and the SG Web site.
“The goal of the Finance Committee is not to benefit Student Government,” Hayes said.
Hayes said the Finance Committee would know best how to use surplus funds and that the measure adding that they had to be used toward student initiatives simply made certain it wouldn’t go toward SG.
Goldsmith said while there was the risk that benefiting a student initiative could be interpreted in a way that allowed SG to receive funds, the risk was mitigated as much as possible.
The issue of the surplus itself was discussed briefly during the approval of Sen. Scott Goldsmith as a senior senator. Goldsmith ran for student body president on a platform that aimed to reduce SG’s student fees to prevent such a surplus.
“I’ve been in Senate for a year, and I saw how we historically always have a surplus of money,” Goldsmith said. “If we can’t find a responsible way to spend student money, then it should stay in the pockets of students. Every penny counts.”
