The Associated Students Finance Board met for the final time of the school year last night, allocating $6,497 to six student organizations in their two-hour meeting.
First off, the board moved to consolidate any previous Finance Board allocations that had been unused by student organizations this year and relocate those funds into the board’s unallocated budget.

After transferring $12,000 from a Legislative Council account, $19,088 from the Culture Week and Black Graduation Fund, $290 from the Sports Team Fund and $8,634 from the Academic Team Fund, the unallocated budget tallied to $31,750. However, the board concluded business after deliberations and allocations with $25,253 remaining.
INDUS, a student group dedicated to educating others about South Asian culture, received partial funding for requests made at last night’s meeting. According to event organizers, the organization is planning an event honoring Buddha Purnima, a religious and cultural holiday that commemorates the life, death and enlightenment of Gautama Buddha.

INDUS social chair Natasha Sidhu, a second-year biopsychology major, said INDUS needed funding for transportation so that students could attend the off-campus celebration.

“We have been talking to a lot of people and many are interested, this is a really big event,” Sidhu said. “Most of the cabinet members have cars and we would be able to coordinate rides for people. Rides should not be an issue for this event.”

Board members questioned whether the event was designed to be accessible to UCSB undergraduates.

“The issue this board has with the event is that it is not local, which makes it inaccessible to non-members,” board member Josue Aparicio said.

However, board member Alexandra Onodera said providing financial support for transportation would in fact make the event more open to the student body.

“I don’t think that the off-campus issue should be an issue,” Onodera said. “They have assured us that people are going to have rides, and as a member of this board and this community, I am going to believe what they tell us.”

The board eventually allocated $2,175 of INDUS’ original $2,675 request.

Furthermore, Interfraternity President Ernest Walker, a third-year political science major, requested funding to publish the Greek Brochure, a mailer that will be sent to incoming freshman and transfer students to inform them about the greek community.

“If we don’t get funded, it won’t go out,” Walker said. “This shows all the good things that we do, all of the community service hours. The greek system has a bad rap and this is a way to get students talking about Greek Life.”

According to board member Stephanie Finch, the brochure was not financed in past years because it was considered a reckless use of student fees.

“I think that if any other organization came to us to send material home to students that are already coming here, we would not fund them,” Finch said. “This is not even outreach because these students are already coming here.”

The board ultimately decided to reject the funding request.

Board members also fully-funded Born Again Ministries, Naked Voices and Burning Skirts Women’s Ultimate Frisbee Team, while partially funding Real Life and the Chican@ Latina@ Graduation Committee.

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