During last night’s rather brief two-and-a-half hour meeting, the Associated Students Finance Board allocated $14,716.68 from its coffers.
The board provided full funding to Healthy Eating and Living and Lambda Theta Nu and partial funding to American Indian Intern Association, Swing and Ballroom Dance Club, Alpha Kappa Delta Phi, Kappa Sigma, Queer Student Union, Lambda Theta Nu, Residence Hall Association, Zeta Phi Rho and Delta Delta Delta.
Lambda Theta Nu sorority was allotted $4,895 from the Student-Initiated Outreach Program fund for their annual Latina Youth Leadership Conference.
Community Service Chair Maricela Salazar, a fourth-year history and Chicano studies major, said the leadership conference encourages young women to attend institutions of higher education.
“We invite girls from local high schools and middle schools for the conference and inspire them to pursue higher education,” Salazar said. “They receive validation from [the conference] and see that someone is supporting them. This year we’re also inviting parents because we feel that parents are essential in allowing these girls to pursue higher education.”
Kapatirang Pilipino, on the other hand, was among the groups left unfunded at last night’s meeting. The organization sought money for registration fees for their annual “Friendship Games” hosted at Cal State Fullerton.
Student Government Advisor Aaron Jones said the group could not be funded unless they received a “one-time exception.” According to A.S. Financial Policies and Procedures, each organization is allowed one exception per year on an item that would otherwise not be permitted to receive funding.
“Seemingly it would take a one-time exception to fund this,” Jones said. “I’m not sure if the organization knows what’s at stake, if they want to do that.”
Board member Hassan Naveed said instead of asking organizations to seek “one-time exceptions,” the board should create an account solely for registration fees.
“In the future we should consider having an account for registration fees,” Naveed said. “There are a lot of organizations that go to regional and local conferences that we aren’t able to fund. … This organization did a good job of finding alternate sources of funding. Our job is to help student organizations, it’s our purpose, so I propose a fund to be created in the future for that use.”
Additionally, Zeta Phi Rho received $9,128.25 out of a requested $9,560.27 from the SIOP fund for their Students Making Academics a Reality Today outreach program, which is intended to familiarize future UCSB students with the university.
Board member Jackie Lee said that the board should put off funding the event until the organization had exhausted all its possible funding sources.
“They haven’t gone to alternate sources of funding and they’re not in that big of a rush,” Lee said. “Let them look elsewhere first.”
Board member Desi Fairly said that the group also asked for money in advance last year and ended up having to take out a loan to pay for the program.
“They came during Winter Quarter last year but ended up having to take out a $5,000 loan,” Fairly said. “It’s really nerve-wracking for them. They’re so anxious that sweat must have been dripping down their brows. It seems as though they’re going to put on this event at all costs, so let’s give them all costs.”
The board also decided to grant American Indian Intern Association $5,200 out of a possible $6,200 with a “one-time exception.” AIIA used theirs on the $500 cap set for food funding for American Indian Heritage Month.
Intern Christiana Enriquez, a fourth-year anthropology major, said that the money will go toward their annual banquet, expected to attract 300 people this year.
“Thirty-three years ago, native students didn’t have a means to go back home for Thanksgiving, whether because of distance or money,” Enriquez said. “This gives students and faculty members a safe space to spend time with ‘family.'”