Vivian Bui/Daily Nexus

Members of the Associated Students Finance and Business Committee, including A.S. CFO Andre Theus (right), listen to funding requests from campus organizations Monday evening. Vivian Bui/Daily Nexus

The Associate Students Finance and Business Committee met Monday in the UCen’s State Street Room to hear funding requests from five campus organizations, two of which it granted.

The committee heard requests with approximately $4,000 allocated for Culture Weeks and Graduation and no further funding available, according to Chief Financial Officer and fourth-year sociology major Andre Theus. Pilipino Graduation (P-Grad), Hermanas Unidas, the University Center (UCen) and the Persian Student Group all requested funding, and Black Graduation (Black Grad) requested reallocation of previously granted funds. The committee granted P-Grad and Black Grad’s requests.

Black Grad representative Jasmine Moses requested the $3,250 the committee previously granted the organization to fund a keynote speaker be reallocated for degree covers, paper to print certificates, flowers, a cake, UCen catering services, use of Campbell hall, a balloon arch and cocktail tables.

According to Moses, the organization had to request reallocation because university policy prohibits private groups from paying faculty members to speak at graduation events.

“Our speaker is a faculty member, hence we can’t pay a faculty member to speak at graduation,” Moses said.

The committee reallocated $2,300 of Black Grad’s funding and suggested the group request further reallocations at a later meeting.

P-Grad requested $2,570 to fund a dinner for 23 graduates and their guests, a speaker and transportation for the organization’s graduation event.

A P-Grad representative said the organization has been fundraising, but would like help from the committee.

“We have a lot of fundraisers this quarter,” the representative said. “We had one last week and we have two more, so we are trying to fund programs ourselves, so it would just be a big help.”
The committee granted P-Grad’s request.

The UCen requested $700 to fund labor for UStudy Center, the UCen’s extended hours and services during dead week and finals week.

According to a UCen representative, the UStudy center needs a service manager and service assistant on shift earning $10 per hour from 9 a.m. to 1 a.m. to oversee special services throughout the UCen property, such as review sessions and free massages.

“In order to be able to do this for our students, we need to be able to have our staff here at that time,” the representative said.

The committee denied the UCen’s request.

Hermanas Unidas representative Julia Ostromogilskaya requested $1,042 to purchase catering service for an estimated 70 to 100 people, furniture, a piñata and other supplies for the organization’s annual “Carne Asada con La Raza” cultural event.

Ostromogilskaya said the event would include discussion on cultural appropriation surrounding Cinco de Mayo, even though the holiday has passed.

“It’s usually a little closer to Cinco de Mayo,” Ostromogilskaya said. “This year since it’s after we’re still going to reference it and talk about Cinco de Mayo and its actual history and cultural appropriation and what that is and how people within the community feel about it.”

Financial officer and second-year political science major Izzy Ninh said the $500 the organization budgeted for food was excessive.

“I would love for us to make that happen; however, I think spending $500 on food for 70 people is a lot,” Ninh said.

The committee denied Hermanas Unidas’ request.

Persian Student Group representative and third-year psychology major Leilani Riahi requested $1,000 to fund a catered dinner for an estimated 200 people after the group’s annual Persian Cultural Show this Thursday at the MultiCultural Center Theater.

Riahi said the organization would plan an alternative gathering if it cannot fund a catered dinner.

“We usually do dinner, but if we don’t get the money we could always do Persian sweets and tea,” Riahi said.

Financial officer Austin Kang said the committee should not fund the group out of funds allocated for Culture Weeks and Graduation because they are not planning an event as part of a culture week.

“If it’s not part of a weeklong event or if it’s just like a one-day celebration, it shouldn’t come out of Culture and Grad,” Kang said. “I looked at the Legal Code, and it said it was for cultural, weeklong events.”

The committee denied Persian Culture Group’s request.

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