Associated Students Finance Board distributed $39,892.72 among 14 organizations at last night’s meeting, including a $15,000 allocation to renovate an on-campus greenhouse.

Only two organizations presenting requests to the board did not receive funding. In addition to doling out funds, board members discussed writing a bill that would change the A.S. Legal Code to permit the funding of exclusive “safe space” events.

After the night’s allocations, the board has $37,402.43 in unallocated funds to distribute for the remainder of the quarter.

In the largest allocation of the night, the board gave $15,000 to the Greenhouse and Garden Project, which provides students, faculty and community members with a small plot to garden on. The funds will go toward the renovation of the group’s greenhouse, located behind Harder Stadium.

The group requested $58,185, but received $15,000 from the board with consent.

“We do have a limited amount of money left,” board member Kyle Hetman said. “$15,000 is a nice round number.”

Meanwhile, three residence halls – Anacapa, Santa Cruz and Santa Rosa – received $4,295.24 for their annual festival, Anacruzapalooza, slated for June 2. The board fully funded the event’s entertainment expenses, including a rock wall, arts and crafts and musical performances.

“We want to make it more of a carnival,” Anacapa Hall Council Representative Chris McElhatton said.

While the three halls originally requested $5,000 for the event, McElhatton said they were able to receive other funding to pay for food costs. The board fully funded the group’s revised budget of $4,295.24.

However, the board did not fund a $7,798 request made by the newly created A.S. Dept. of Energy Oversight Committee for its trip to this Thursday’s UC Regents meeting at UC San Francisco. The students attending would include several hunger strikers, as well as other interested students. The group requested funds for transportation, hotel accommodations and food.

Several board members expressed concerns with the budget and the timing of the group’s request, coming just days before the meeting.

“It just seems that everything that this group has done has been really rushed,” board member J.P. Slauenwhite said. “It doesn’t seem planned.”

At the end of the meeting, board member Jose Raygoza asked for input on writing a bill to fund “safe space” events – events catered specifically to certain groups. Currently, Finance Board policies and procedures require all funded events to be open to the entire campus community.

“I want to amend the constitution so we can have those events,” Raygoza said. “I don’t like the system we’re running on.”
Several board members questioned the meaning of a “safe space” and the nature of its exclusivity.

“What if a fraternity wanted to have a ‘safe space’ for fraternities?” Slauenwhite said. “I just don’t think unallocated funds are necessarily the place to come to put on exclusive events like that. This is the place where people come to fund events that everyone can go to.”

With a vote of seven in favor, one opposing and one abstaining, members ended discussion on the topic.