Associated Students Finance Board members distributed $15,338 among four student groups at their meeting yesterday and created two subcommittees to facilitate the allocation of funds for diversity programs.

The board fully funded a $10,000 request from A.S. Marketing and an $833 request from campus radio station KCSB. The board also partially funded the American Students for Israel’s women’s self-defense seminar, providing $1,200 of the requested $1,800. Finally, members allocated $3,305 of the requested $3,875 to the UCSB chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws for its Third Annual Revival of the Joint Rolling Competition.

As for the subcommittees, one will oversee diversity grants that will fund culture weeks on campus and the other will focus on academic outreach grants to be used by organizations such as the Black Student Union and El Congresso to bring high school and elementary school students from under-represented groups to campus.

A.S. Marketing, which received the most money at the meeting, will use the funds to place recruitment advertisements in the Daily Nexus in order to fill all open board and committee positions in A.S.

As for campus radio station KCSB’s funding, programmer Elia Vargas, a fourth-year film studies and philosophy double major, requested and received $833 to attend the National Conference on Media Reform. Vargas said the conference focuses on the new ways that media functions in today’s society. The allotment will fund his conference registration fee, airfare, city transportation, lodging and extraneous expenses.

Vargas said his attendance at the conference would provide valuable networking opportunities and educational information for KCSB.

“KCSB is a really good community… radio station that brings many different alternative information sources and this conference will inspire networking,” Vargas said.

Board member Jaclyn Feldstein expressed concern about funding, as it would only support one person.

“This would be setting a precedent for individuals to come to us,” Feldstein said.

Despite her concerns, the board approved the $833 by consent.

Meanwhile, the American Students for Israel requested $1,800 to pay for speaker Alon Stivi to come to its self-defense seminar, slated for Jan. 25. According to its website, the group seeks to ensure “that Israel’s case receives fair representation on campus” by organizing events, lectures and festivals.

Elana Wenocur, co-vice president of American Students for Israel, said Stivi is the U.S. Master Instructor of the Hisardut Israel Survival System, a modern system of self-defense developed to combat and survive terrorist tactics. Wenocur said Stivi would be the highlight of a three-hour event.

“We want to empower the women of this campus to learn practical self-defense techniques,” Wenocur said.

The board voted to partially fund the group, providing $1,200 with consent.

Board members also partially funded NORML’s $3,875 request. The money will be used for advertising as well as for hiring musical acts for its joint-rolling competition. The Jan. 27 event, which is a revival of the popular competition from the ’70s, will include live music and information about the legalization of marijuana, as well as a joint-rolling competition with eight categories.

“The reason Finance Board should help us with this, other than obvious entertainment value, is to give us a chance to spread our message of legalizing cannabis and educating our peers on the safe use of marijuana,” NORML Co-Chair and bio-psychology major Alex Coffman said.

Board member Brent Wisener objected to funding a group whose focus is the legalization of marijuana.

“It’s a bad idea when we’re right on the cusp of promoting marijuana, when it’s technically illegal,” Wisener said.

The board voted to give the group $3,305 with seven in favor and three opposing.