By Crystal Luong
News Assistant
The Student Government Association philanthropy fund continues to dwindle as the resolutions flow in from campus groups and organizations. In the latest set of resolutions for Delta Gamma’s Anchor Splash and the recent Locked in for Leukemia, debate absorbed SGA members.
To support the Delta Gamma Sorority, SGA voted to allocate 30 percent of its philanthropy fund to the annual Anchor Splash, a fundraising event for the Los Angeles Blind Children’s Center. However, senators did not approve the resolution without dissent from the floor.
With the prospects of the Locked-in resolution following Delta Gamma, Sophomore President Nick Bundra offered a friendly amendment to reduce their allocation from $315 to $250. The Delta Gamma representative, Brittan Maassen, refused the friendly offer, prompting Senior President Eddie Policastro to propose a formal amendment for an SGA vote.
After a debate between Bundra and Policastro against SGA senators Tyler Elizabeth Lewis, John Jorden and Jessica Kloor, the amendment for $250 was struck from the resolution and the motion passed at $315.
Debate over the Delta Gamma resolution was only the start of contention for the night. The passing of the Locked in for Leukemia resolution underwent four separate motions before passing. The initial resolution requested 30 percent of the money in the philanthropy fund, a total that would have been significantly less than the previous amount given to Delta Gamma.
Sophomore Senator Matt Alloway proposed an amendment to raise the allocation above the 30 percent allowed in the SGA Constitution bylaws to $300. A unanimous vote needed from SGA to pass the amendment was not achieved when Policastro and Freshman Senator Christian Guerra both objected.
Another proposed amendment increased the allocation to $275, but once again, Guerra objected. He said he was voting against the amendment for the reason of staying consistent with the constitution.
Before the vote to pass the resolution, SGA Vice President Giuseppe Nespoli voiced his objections toward the mere 30 percent for Locked in for Leukemia, spiraling the SGA into a capped debate session. Thereafter, another amendment to raise the allocation to $301 passed unanimously.
The remaining total in the philanthropy fund stands at $434.
In other news, Junior Lindsay Elmore has been appointed as the new SGA Overseas Chair.
“I’m totally looking forward to it. I loved going overseas and I want to give back,” Elmore said. She also plans on implementing new ways to include the Washington, D.C. program in the job.
Technology Chair Nicole Garcia also announced that a new Web site was bought for SGA. The new domain, www.pepsga.com, will allow room for 40 times the current Web space.
February 06, 2003