Associated Students Finance Board allocated $15,424.25 among 11 groups and began budgetary hearings for the next academic year at its weekly meeting yesterday afternoon.

During the board’s longest meeting of the year – roughly three hours – members distributed money to 11 of the 13 groups requesting funding. The two unfunded groups, the Sociology Association and Habitat for Humanity, UCSB Campus Chapter, asked the board to allocate money for T-shirts and transportation, respectively. Both items are prohibited from receiving funding under Finance Board policies. As for next year’s A.S. budget, the board will meet a few more times this week to discuss allocations given to A.S. entities lacking a lock-in fee.

Finance Board fully funded the A.S. Environmental Affairs Board’s request of $6,200 for its Earth Day festival on April 14. Ryan Anderson, a representative for the board, said the money would help make the event sustainable and zero-waste, in addition to paying for musical acts and advertising.

“This is the initial funding that it will take to make our event energy neutral,” Anderson said. “All energy used will be offset because we will plant trees in Isla Vista.”

Board member Raymond Meza said that, while the event is popular and beneficial to the community, he hoped that this year EAB would properly clean up after the festival.

“I’d be interested in seeing if they don’t trash the place as they do every year,” Meza said.

Board members passed the $6,200 request with consent.

Board members held a lengthy debate about the funding of two outreach events for high-school students. Although the board decided to continue discussions at a later date about how to fund events for non-UCSB students, members voted to give the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science $2,180 to host an outreach program for incoming math and science majors.

Later in the meeting, the board only partially funded a $1,761.30 request from Housing and Residential Life for a pilot outreach program, the Quantum Project.

Residential Life received $500 from the board after concerns that San Marino High School, the school from which the group would invite Asian/Pacific Islander students, was of a high socio-economic class.

“I do understand that this is outreach, but San Marino High School is one of the wealthiest high schools in California,” Finance Board Chair Nick Szamet said. “Are we looking at socio-economic class or are we looking at ethnicity?”

After some debate, the board decided to fund the project with $500 for food costs.

The board fully funded requests from Gauchos Locos ($160), Interfaith Students ($400), Single Student Apartment Community Council ($500) and Healthy Eating and Living ($1,425). In addition, the National Society of Black Engineers received $780, the A.S. Katrina Relief Group was given $840, Kapatirang Pilipino was allocated $1,023 and Friendly Undergraduate Queers In It Together received $1,146.25.

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