ASUNM unanimously approved its Spring budget last week and left a bitter taste in the mouths of some campus organizations.
The Associated Students of UNM Finance Committee divided about $500,000 among 124 student organizations, groups and ASUNM executive agencies. All organizations requesting funding were required to submit its budget proposals explaining how much money the group needed and what the funds would be used for.
After working on their proposals, organization members said they felt cheated.
The Broadcast Club received the least amount of money - $13.
"We are sad," said club secretary Darcy Burford.
She said as a new organization, members did a lot of hard work to apply for funding.
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"We had to go through the trouble of creating a club constitution and explaining all our rules," she said. "Then we had to explain what we wanted to get."
Burford said the club was hoping for enough money to get new equipment, which can be expensive. She also said the club was interested in taking a trip to Dallas this fall for a broadcasting convention. With the funding the group received, that won't be happening, she said.
"I know it isn't guaranteed, but I thought we would receive a fair amount of funding," Burford said. "It is what we are paying for. It is what our student fees are going to."
Martin Tong, an accountant in the Student Government Accounting Office, said last week that $13 was all the finance committee could give the Broadcast Club.
"When you look at this budget, you are going to see various discrepancies between organizations, and there are various reasons for that," Tong said.
He said the club asked for money for the same piece of equipment last fall. He also said money could not be given for travel expenses until the fall budget process.
A lot of the groups were new groups, and the maximum amount they can receive is $750.
The American Indian Council of Architects and Engineers asked for $700 and received $237.
"It's amazing," said Ivan Shorty, club treasurer. "I thought we were going to get a lot more than that."
He said members had to go through the trouble of getting chartered as an organization and then attend the mandatory meetings to receive funding.
"We put together a presentation on who we are and who we represent," Shorty said, adding they asked for money to aid in operating costs like supplies and refreshments at meetings.
"Now we are going to have to run our organization with our own money," he said.
Other campus organizations that didn't receive their requested budget include: the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, receiving $200; the Pre-Dental Society, receiving $355 and Jitterbugs Anonymous, receiving $350.
While club members said they would wait and see what happens next spring, they said they were still aggravated by the funding for this year.
