Council alters compensation to match budget
Tuesday’s ASUSU executive council meeting, two resolutions were proposed concerning tuition waivers for members of the council and members of the academic senate.
The resolutions propose a change in compensation from full tuition waivers to a set dollar amount. The resolutions state that the current method of compensation, tuition waivers, has placed the budget at a deficit of nearly $80,000.
The resolutions also state, “The budget shortfall has created the necessity to award the position and not the individual.”
Currently, all members of the executive council and all academic senators receive full tuition and fee waivers as well as a $200 monthly stipend. The first resolution, which was sponsored by Executive Vice President Brent Crosby and co-sponsored by Academic Senate President Tanner Wright, proposed that members of the academic senate receive cash scholarships of $2,150 each semester with no additional stipend.
The second resolution, also sponsored by Crosby and Wright, proposed the ASUSU president receive a cash scholarship of $3,000 each semester and a stipend of $300 five times per semester. It also proposed that all other members of the council, including all director-level positions, receive a cash scholarship of $2,500 each semester with a stipend of $200 four times a semester, approximately each month. All compensation may be placed on top of any existing scholarships.
The proposed resolutions will not affect the graduate student senate.
Wright said each senator does as much work as executive council members. He said senators also represent the whole student body, but through their own colleges, and he feels it may be disrespectful to compensate the senators less. Wright also said even compensation of any amount would be better. Engineering Senator Cami Lyman said she agrees with Wright.
In regards to executive council members receiving more compensation, Crosby said, “It’s about where the responsibility ultimately is.”
Programming Vice President Tom Atwood said compensation should be equal, but at the amount of $2,500.
Athletics Vice President Alex Putnam said he can see both perspectives, and the responsibility aspect is a good point, but budgets need to be considered.
“We should award fairly,” Putnam said.
The idea that stipend compensation for senators could come from their individual colleges, possibly from each college’s dean, was swiftly dismissed by the council.
Wright said, “One aspect you have to look at is what are they elected for? To represent students or the dean?”
Wright then said that if stipends were being allotted from each college’s dean, senators might feel pressure to act for the dean.
The discussion concluded with minor amendments to the bill to address wording and phrasing, however, no major changes were made to the resolutions.
The resolutions were then tabled and will be brought up again in next week’s meeting. If passed, the resolutions will be passed on to Vice President for Student Services James Morales who will then decide whether or not to enact the proposed legislation.
– jessie.a.sweat@aggiemail.usu.edu
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