ASUSU gives raise to Greeks, but only on one-year basis
Utah State University’s fraternities and sororities will be receiving $1,000 more from the Capital and Support portion of the Associated Students of USU’s budget next year, but only after several attempts to get that money from other parts of the budget failed.
At its last weekly meeting of the year Tuesday, the ASUSU Executive Council voted 13-4 in favor of giving the Greek Council $1,000 next year from ASUSU’s Capital and Support budget. The vote came after the original proposal, as well as several other variations, were voted down.
As required by a bill passed by the Executive Council earlier this year, ASUSU-supported groups listed in the “Others” category have been presenting to the council information on how they use the money they get from ASUSU. The new bill requires an annual audit of “Others” organizations’ use of ASUSU money.
The “Others” category includes the Greek Council, Multicultural Student Clubs, the Children’s House, the International Student Council, the Student Alumni Association and Students Taking on Prevention.
The Executive Council voted Tuesday night to approve the audits of all the organizations, although the allocations they approved for the Multicultural Student Clubs and the Greek Council were amended versions.
Both those organizations had requested more money than is currently allocated in next year’s budget, which was also approved Tuesday after two amendments.
ASUSU Academic Vice President Jim Stephenson, who made the motion to approve only what had already been allocated to the Multicultural Student Clubs – and not the 50 percent increase they requested – said he was concerned the clubs weren’t spending what they already got.
“We’re 90 percent through the year, and they’ve not yet used $9,000,” Stephenson said. “I think they do fantastic things … [but] I’m not seeing them spend everything.”
Representatives from the clubs told the council several clubs, including the Hispanic Student Union, had not yet used their entire budgets for the year because their big events, such as next week’s Hispanic Heritage Week, had not yet happened.
The Greek Council had also asked for $1,000 more, which would have been passed as a raise from about 0.39 percent of the total ASUSU budget to 0.5 percent.
“I’ve seen a lot of positive efforts on the part of the Greek system this year,” said Trine Thomas, ASUSU Arts & Lectures vice president. “I think $1,000 is worth what they put into the campus.”
Other supporters, many of whom are themselves part of the Greek system at USU, said fraternities and sororities don’t get money from the Council of Student Clubs and Organizations.
But opponents said the current allocation of $1,158 is not all the Greek Council gets.
“To say that we only give them $1,100 hides a lot,” Stephenson said. He said the Greek Council also gets support in the forms of an ASUSU-supported adviser, Tiffany Evans, who is also an adviser of the Executive Council. ASUSU also supports the Greeks with office space, computers and other things, Stephenson said.
The original proposal actually won a majority – 10 to 7 – but it required a two-thirds majority.
Stephenson moved later in the meeting to give the Greek Council a one-time budget increase of $1,000, rather than a permanent budget increase, giving them an extra year to see about getting support from non-ASUSU sources, either in budgeting or in secretarial, advisory and other support.
The final decision to forego the Capital and Support Committee and approve Capital and Support money passed despite several members’ concerns that it may not conform to ASUSU’s constitution.