Associated Students Finance Board distributed $34,051.20 among 15 organizations, including itself, at its meeting last night.
The board fully funded eight groups and partially funded all the remaining organizations except one. Some of the groups receiving allocations included Alpha Epsilon Phi sorority and the UCSB Baseball Club. The board’s remaining unallocated funds for Spring Quarter total $103,812.60.
Additionally, board members allocated $1,000 with consent to pay for Finance Board recruitment advertisements to be run in the Daily Nexus, as well as T-shirts for members to wear.
The board allocated $2,630 of a requested $3,000 to AEPhi sorority for its first annual Dodgeball Tournament, slated for May 19. Megan Carroll, the sorority’s philanthropy chair, said AEPhi expects to donate about $2,000 to two charities – the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation and the Chain Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer, Israel.
“Since it’s our first year, I think people [outside sponsors] are less likely to fund us,” Carroll said. “We need one year to prove ourselves.”
Finance Board member Jose Raygoza said he objected to giving more money to the organization than it would provide to charity. He noted the council’s $19,015 allocation to Alpha Tau Omega fraternity for the All-Sorority Volleyball Tournament held April 28, which raised $12,000 for charity.
“It seems like we’re wasting money,” Raygoza said.
However, chair Nick Szamet said the board’s primary concern should be the event, not its charity aspect.
“We’re subsidizing an event,” Szamet said. “We pay for a lot of events that are just free and open. Consider Earth Day – that’s not raising money for charity. At ASVT, you participate and have fun and at the same time, it’s raising money for charity. You’re holding it to a standard that isn’t really justified.”
The board allocated $2,630 with consent to provide the venue fee, staff, security, first-aid supplies and advertising.
The UCSB Baseball Club received $1,800 of a requested $4,293.21 to fund several games, as well as a fee to join the National Club Baseball Association. The additional funding the club team requested covered equipment and uniforms, but according to its financial policies, the board cannot provide funds for such items.
Cameron Uhalde, the club’s founder, said the organization is not yet recognized by the Recreational Sports Dept. and without its financial support, the team must currently pay for all fees out of pocket.
“We’re just an Office of Student Life organization right now because there is a three year probationary period to join Rec Sports,” Uhalde said. “We receive no funding from them.”
The board approved $1,800 for the club team with consent.
