Long after most other students had cleared out of the EMU, the ASUO Senate voted down funding the Oregon Student Public Interest Research Group at $45,000 with a vote of five affirming and 14 opposing on Wednesday night.
After a discussion that lasted more than two hours, in which presenters again spoke in support of the group receiving funding and senators debated back and forth on the merits and issues with funding, the Senate voted down including OSPIRG in the Athletics and Contracts Finance Committee’s budget.
This is OSPIRG’s third time being voted down by ASUO members. The first was at OSPIRG’s formal budget hearing asking for $117,000, and the second was at an appeal hearing with the ACFC asking for $45,000.
Following the final appeal, the Senate heard from the other contracts on the ACFC docket.
Update: $4,007,655 was the amount that set the ACFC at a 7-percent increase; following OSPIRG’s being voted down, the Senate voted on this larger ACFC budget and approved it with 14 senators affirming, three opposing and one abstaining. If ASUO President Amelie Rousseau vetoes this budget, it will require a 2/3 vote of filled seats (currently 20) to override the veto. It would seem the Senate currently has this.
Voting on OSPIRG’s appeal:
Dos Santos – Nay; Hinman – Nay; Snodgrass – Aye; Brooks – Nay; Lange – Nay; Newman – Aye; Woodside-Gomez – Nay; Fielding – Nay; Sedgley – Nay; Wise – Aye; Barkley – Nay; Bidwell – Nay; Bacon – Aye; Thomas – Nay; Powell – Nay; Stark-MacMillan – Aye; Garcia – Absent; Schally – Nay; Hochstatter – Nay; Harding – Nay
Voting on ACFC’s final budget:
Dos Santos – Aye; Hinman – Aye; Snodgrass – Aye; Brooks – Aye; Lange – Aye; Newman – Nay; Woodside-Gomez – Aye; Fielding – Aye; Sedgley – Aye; Wise – Nay; Barkley – Aye; Bidwell – Aye; Bacon – Abstain; Thomas – Aye; Powell – Aye; Stark-MacMillan – Nay; Garcia – Absent; Schally – Aye; Hochstatter – Aye; Harding – Aye
