The common theme for this year seems to be the low amount of surplus funds for the ASUO Senate to distribute to student groups, and with just over six weeks left in the spring term, the body has made a habit of failing motions that would use a great portion of the remaining $4,000.
On Wednesday night, the Center for the Advancement of Sustainable Living presented a request for more than $2,000; a request the group was able to reduce to the bare minimum.
CASL requested funds from surplus and through the over-realized process earlier this year to receive revenue for continuing construction on “a state-of-the-art demonstration home for low-impact living near campus,” according to the CASL website.
A few senators, including Sen. Ian Needham, believed the surplus level was too low to fund a project that did not demonstrate an immediate problem.
“All these funds go to solve problems, and I just don’t see this an immediate problem,” Needham said. “I don’t really have a problem with putting this off until the fall.”
Senators following this train of thought recommended that CASL return in the fall when the surplus levels were at a more sustainable level, recommending that senator-elects in the audience speak to their plans for the future.
Unfortunately for CASL, the funds available for projects like this had been given away earlier this year, with only emergency funds remaining.
“The job (of surplus funds) are to help give a little more funds to groups that need just a little more for their culture night,” Sen. Taylor Allison said.
Representatives from CASL were quick to point out that the group does not have any money and they would not continue to visit Senate if their large, lump sum request was granted during the over-realized process.
“If we received $78,000 we wouldn’t have to come back, but the fact is, we don’t have any money so we have to keep pushing projects off and these things keep getting more expensive,” a CASL representative said.
Ultimately, the student government legislative branch voted the motion down, 3-14-0.