The Associated Students Finance Board distributed $2,450 to two student organizations during last night’s 45 minute meeting.
The board used money from its Winter and Spring Quarter unallocated budgets to fully fund the A.S. Food Bank and partially fund the UCSB Women’s Lacrosse Team. The team requested an additional $2,000 for the 2012 Women’s Collegiate Lacrosse Association National Championship tournament after receiving $1,000 to cover entry fees at the Oct. 17 board meeting.
The tournament will be held in Colorado Springs and runs from May 9 through 12. The team solicited the extra funding to help cover the expected rise in transportation costs this year due to the tournament’s relocation from its traditional venue in Arizona.
According to team member Shawna Falk, a fourth-year global and international studies major, the request matches the board’s funding level from previous years.
“Every year we’ve gotten $3,000 for Nationals and this has been very helpful because everything else that we pay for comes from personal expenses collected at the beginning of the year and any fundraising that we do,” Falk said. “On average, the whole trip costs $18,000. We’re really lucky that we’ve made it [to Nationals] every year [I’ve played], but if we struggle to raise funds we might not be able to make it to the tournament.”
After debating whether or not to fund the Lacrosse team since other sport teams have not received any funds for national competitions, UCSB Women’s Lacrosse was eventually allocated an additional $200.
Board member Nate Walter said the decision falls in line with similar allocations toward athletic groups.
“On a rough average, we give about $1,200 for sport teams [every year],” Walter said. “In my opinion, giving the average amount is fair. That way at least we’re giving something and helping a team go to Nationals.”
The A.S. Food Bank requested $2,250 to advertise food drive events throughout the year and add two paid officers, a treasurer and chairperson, to its staff.
Food Bank Chair Guadalupe Cruz, a third-year sociology and psychology major, said while the finances would mainly be spent on the stated costs, the funding’s use would ultimately be unrestricted.
“We have many events planned for adding awareness of poverty around the world,” Cruz said. “We also need to advertise what we’re doing on campus for students to know how to help this problem and around Santa Barbara as well. This funding will go towards the advertising, [added] positions and any additional expenditures we may need.”
Finance Board agreed to fully fund the Food Bank with $1,125 from its Winter Quarter budget and $1,125 from the Spring budget, as the funds will be used over the course of the year rather than for one particular event.
