Live Blogging | VSA Council Meeting on May 3, 2009

Final meeting of the 23rd VSA Council

Late-night programming memorandum from Activities.

Budget

Finance: We have been over-requested by $400,000, "which sends a clear message, we have too many orgs." By certifying new orgs we are taking money away from already-existing organizations.

Activities: It is impossible to fund everyone the full amount that they request.

Finance: The way that we punish orgs that do not show up for budgeting interviews is by giving them less money for last year (in response to concerns raised by HEL Sketch Comedy). It is too late to appeal the budget now.

HEL: Concern about giving the same amount of money to all comedy groups. We didn't know when to raise our concerns earlier.

Activities: By changing the budget now, we would be taking money away from other groups. You can apply to special purpose funds and supplemental budgeting in the fall.

2011: Why did groups like Ballroom Dance and VCPUNX, who claimed that they didn't need VSA funding, get large budgets.

 Finance: I knew that this was going to happen with new orgs, and I'm glad that I was right. "We cannot continue with this certifying madness." 

Ultimate Frisbee: Urges Council not to pass the budget.

Motion to pass the budget fails. Council moves into a closed session. All guests are asked to leave.

Motion to allocate $100 from Leadership Series to HEL.

Finance: This is a horrible precedent. Other orgs contacted us early on, we explained that there wasn't enough money, and that was the end of that. This is also illegal. Appeals should be made within 48 hours of the budget email. I am willing to go to Judicial Board for this.

HEL: Protocol could have been made clearer in the e-mail. That is as much your responsibility as it is ours.

Town Houses: This doesn't sound like much of an appeals process. I commend HEL for coming in for a real appeal in Council.

2009: Other orgs were able to appeal after the e-mail. I don't understand what is so exceptional about HEL. By passing this the Council is saying that HEL is more special or costly than other. HEL has often been fined for misusing the Shiva space.

HEL: We had a problem with the fact that our budget went down while other comedy groups went up. Unfair treatment.

Motion is in a deadlock 10-10. Because the threshold for the vote is 12 votes, the motion fails.

Finance: Please don't take this as a punishment. Just come back to supplemental.

Josselyn: Concern about double-fining with regard to Frisbee.

Cushing: Frisbee players brought beer to the meeting. That is indicative of their behavior.

Frisbee: That is out of line.

Council goes into closed session.

President: "I just want to point out that I broke the gavel." 

2011: Motion to move $3500 from Conference Fund to Ultimate Frisbee, in light of allegations against Ultimate Frisbee being shaky.

Finance: Frisbee has a 90 percent chance of getting this money back. It's just an extra step. [Council members are referring to possible censure of Frisbee Team due to alleged misconduct at  housing at a tournament off campus. Censure is normally taking into account in budgeting, but the Council only found out about allegations after creating the budget.]

Activities: We just want to make sure that there is that extra step of accountability. We think the Frisbee Team is great.

Motion to censure Frisbee Team passes.

First meeting of the 24th VSA Council:

Council goes through introductions.

Operations: Move to pass Resolution 24-1. This resolution sets forth the Council's support of protecting need-blind financial aid.

Activities: I think it is absolutely imperative that we pass this.

Motion passes.

Dean of the College: Congratulations to all of you. I look forward to working with you next year.

Council adjourns.

Note: Comments are paraphrasing of the discussion, except for text in quotation marks, which are verbatim quotes. Only summaries of the discussion by members of the VSA Council are included. Note that financial allocations are not included here, although this information is available under meeting minutes at vsa.vassar.edu.