At the Student Government Association’s weekly meeting yesterday, Financial Vice President Chad Kreikemeier began the procedure for approval of the budget, with the first bill pulled from the allocations to student organizations. The Cricket Club, headed by Omar Khan, had requested $6,687, while the money they were allocated was $373. Kreikemeier cited “drastic miscommunication” as the source of some misconceptions about the club’s funds.
Khan remarked that none of the expenditures for the World Cup came out of University funding. Commuter Senator Matt Love asked to have the funds reduced to $0.00, since the group’s activities involved seeing the World Cup, an event that occurs once every four years. Love thought that funds should be given to participate in a sport, not to be a spectator. The amendment failed.
Grand Forest Senator Deanna Durrett asked about membership in the club, to which Khan stated that there are currently 21 active members: 14 undergraduates, five graduates and two non-SLU members. There are also more than 100 inactive members.
The next group under consideration was UNA, which had requested $759 and was allocated $269. Law School Senator Rich Sykora pulled this bill from being combined with other bills.
Senator Jim Swift quoted Gloria Steinem, “Women need men like fish need bicycles.” He said that UNA paid for an event to see Steinem, whose quote he found offensive to men. Cassandra Selby, one of the leaders of UNA, said that all students who went to hear Steinem paid for themselves and did not use SLU funding. Senator Curtice added, “They are not planning on seeing Gloria Steinem next year,” reminding everyone that the budget was for next year, not the past one.
Swift also raised reconsideration of the budget for SGA internal financing, which after less than five minutes of questions and debate, ended and was passed in its original form.
The Model African Union had requested $3,360 and has received spot funding this year to pay to go to a conference this year in Washington, D.C. The group is led by Erhine Oghre-Ikakone and Emmanuel Uwalaka, Ph.D., a political science professor, and included eight members total. Administrative Vice President Vincent Giacabazi pulled this bill, saying that all their funds went to only one event and that while there are eight members, it is primarily Oghre-Ikakone who runs the group. He also said that the dues for each member were only $10 and that the group was discouraged by their adviser from seeking outside funds. When given a chance to speak, Oghre-Ikakone said the group would want to do more but lacks the funds.
She wanted the Senate to understand that the group was not lazy, merely limited by its resources. Giacabazi’s amendment was to cut the allocated money 5.06 percent more, bringing their total down from $980 to $931. All groups underwent a 5.06 percent cut from last year. The amendment failed.
In other business, Academic Vice President Lubna Alam brought up a bill to restate their support to Saint Louis University Apparel Manufacturers’ Code of Conduct and the Workers Rights Consortium.
The bill seeks fair work conditions for laborers who produce SLU apparel. Alam pointed out that 112 universities, including 11 Jesuit schools, have adopted this code. This would not signify a change in the manufacturer, simply cooperation at both ends to provide nonsweatshop work environments.
Commuter Senator Daniel French asked about evidence of violations of labor laws, to which Alam responded that right now there is no way to know whether violations have occurred or not.
French added, “I don’t believe that this bill is the best way to combat this problem.” Alam assured the Senate that this would be “a slow but sure process … we have to start somewhere.” The bill passed.
