Associated Students Legislative Council approved the association’s 2011-12 budget during last week’s nearly 11-hour meeting.

Representatives finalized the budget — which faces a 92 percent decrease in unallocated funding from this year — at 3:15 a.m. on Thursday. The top two funded boards and committees are The Bottom Line, which will receive $48,050 but generates no revenue, and the Office of the External Vice President of Statewide Affairs with $44,000. In addition, $62,000 will be allotted towards honoraria for student government members.

Internal Vice President Jake Elwood said although some entities will be funded in larger amounts than others, the association sought to ensure cuts were made unilaterally.

“Almost every committee experienced a cut of about 50 percent or somewhere around that,” Elwood said. “A couple committees had more significant cuts than others, but every committee was cut. Nobody has as much money as they had this year.”

Following a lengthy debate regarding funding for the upcoming College Republicans’ David Horowitz event — which received $800 from the council — representatives unanimously passed a resolution to affirm that UCSB is a “UC Against Islamophobia.”

The declaration’s student sponsor Kristen Hayford, a fourth-year political science major, said it serves to publicly show that the campus does not support hate or discriminatory rhetoric.

“[The resolution] is a way for UCSB to officially have a stance against Islamophobia on our campus,” Hayford said. “I think a lot of times individuals get stuck in their bubble and aren’t aware of acts of hate that go on in their communities. This is a platform for UCSB students to be more aware of what’s going on with their fellow community members.”

Due to time constraints, the council tabled a bill to restructure Queer Commission. University-Owned Housing Representative Alfredo Del Cid said the group provides the campus with integral support for the queer community.

“I think it shows that Legislative Council understands the need for more education around the queer community,” Del Cid said. “Although we have made some progress around the campus, there’s still some hate in terms of trans-phobia. It’s a sign in terms of how much work is left to be done.”

Del Cid said the council’s prioritization of QC will allow the commission to focus its funding on educational services, though some supplementary outreach materials will face the chopping block. The group will receive $40,000 in next year’s budget.

“We understand the situation the campus is facing in terms of finances, so we cut shirts out of the budget,” Del Cid said. “We kept a lot of education aspects, because we realize that’s the pressing matter right now. There’s a lot of alternatives to make up for the other money we’re losing.”

 

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