BRITTANY YEAROUT
Staff Writer
SGA has approved a new fund that aims to expedite and push their resolutions into action. In the past, resolutions have served as suggestions for the administration.
The major debate of a two-hour budget meeting last night centered on the new resolution fund. The $4,000 resolution fund passed with a 14 to 10 vote.
“SGA has not been as effective in the past because resolutions have been made that never get funding,” said Junior President Brendan Groves. “We can’t make a difference without funding.”
Senior Senator John Jorden motioned to amend the fund and decrease the amount to $2,500.
“In the past we have never had anything like this,” Jorden said. “We have been able to accomplish things at campus. I don’t think that SGA should have to pay for a clock in the Sandbar. It’s not the students’ responsibility.”
A new proposed resolution could put the resolution fund to use in the near future. The proposal calls for the installation of a stove in the main lobby of the Rockwell Towers.
“People have expressed interest in having more food options,” said sophomore president Courtney Cunningham. “I’m all about serving the people, so I wanted to start the year off with a good resolution for the students.”
SGA Treasurer Robert Romero presented the overall budget yesterday, which totaled $66,214.
SGA received $21 from each of the 3,034 Pepperdine undergraduate students for the semester and $2,500 in revenue from new student record booklets.
Other changes to SGA’s budget this fall involve increasing the funds for constitutional expenses. These expenses include Inter Club Council, Inter-Fraternity Council, technology, philanthropy, the new resolution fund and the general fund. The total came to $30,000, which is $5,000 more than last year.
“Last year we were negative $13,000 but this year our budget is now in the positive,” Romero said. “So we can bump up more money than last year for our constitutional expenses.”
As part of the SGA E-board budget, $3,050 will be allocated for the SGA retreat.
Other SGA expenses pertain to individual classes. Each class receives $5.50 per student.
However, concerns were raised during the meeting about whether class budgets accurately represented the number of students in each class. The university classifies the students by credit hours rather than by the length of time a student has attended Pepperdine, according to SGA President Leon Dixson.
Although this concern couldn’t affect the budget at last night’s meeting, the issue will be addressed following a review of the SGA constitution throughout the year, Dixson said.
09-29-2005