ASI finalizes budget with cuts made to executive pay

The Associated Students Inc. Senate passed the 2009-2010 operating budgets for ASI and the University Student Union, which account for a combined total of $9.95 million in spending.

Funds for scholarships, student organizations and student government operations were reduced from last year’s levels in order compensate for declining enrollment numbers and sinking income.

The budget passed with only one amendment, which takes $1,200 that would have gone to help pay for senator stipends and redirects it toward student organizations.

Currently, each senator receives a $330 stipend per semester. The amendment, written by Sens. Marelei Denila and Jeff Yutrzenka, reduced that amount to $300. Yutrzenka said they proposed the amendment because earnings for all other student government positions have been reduced to offset projected income and revenue shortfalls.

“Senator Denila and I felt that the money should be redirected toward student organizations because it would benefit students the most,” Yutrzenka wrote in an e-mail. The amendment passed with a 6-4 vote. Returning senators abstained fom voting.

According to ASI Treasurer Brian Troutner, less than half the amount requested by student organizations will be available. He said ASI received $403,129 in requests for event funding, but there is only $178,094 available for allocation by ASI.

“What this means is if we were to equally cut all the requests to fit the budget, only 44 percent of each request would be funded,” Troutner wrote in an e-mail. “For many events, this would mean there are not enough funds to host the event.”

With the passage of the amendment, all student government officeholders had their pay cut.

Stipends for judicial and cabinet positions were cut from $250 to $200 and individual ASI executive pay was also reduced from $18,312 per year to $16,800 per year to offset an ASI General Budget shortfall.

“The effect of the cuts on ASI operations will probably not be noticeable to most students,” said ASI President Erin Swetland. “Our major operations and programs will still be intact.”

ASI Executive Director Richard Haller said student government stipends will return to their original levels in future budgets.

Along with cuts to student government stipends, the new budget cut athletics scholarships by about $17,000 and put about 20 ASI-funded scholarships on hiatus.

Troutner said the scholarships were cut to better benefit the overall student body.

“While scholarships are a great benefit to the few students selected to receive them, when faced with a lack of funding for programs and services that are offered and beneficial to the entire student body, these tough decisions must be made,” Troutner said.

Approximately $6.1 million of student fees will go to subsidize ASI and USU expenditures for 2009-2010 fiscal year.

ASI senators also learned of their influence in Sacramento regarding California State Assembly Bill 386.

ASI Chief of Staff James Davis showed the senate a document from the Calif. State Legislature that mentions 49er Shops and ASI’s support of the textbook-related bill.

Over the past weekend, a group of seven CSULB students drove to the state capitol to lobby in support of the bill. The group presented nine senators several facts and information about why they support the bill.

“ASI President Erin Swetland testified this morning in front of the Senate Committee of Education,” Davis said.

Swetland’s testimony was a reflection of the resolution recently passed by the ASI Senate. The Senate Committee of Education passed the bill unanimously, Davis said, and will move onto the House Committee and then to the floor.

Troutner spoke about the receipt of recent Board of Control minutes being extended to next week.

“I believe that we’ve worked really hard and made a lot of good decisions, however in making those decisions we had to make some tough choices so you may get some unhappy student organizations,” Troutner said.

Troutner mentioned that next Wednesday student organizations can come to the ASI Senate meeting to address the decisions made by the Board of Control.