by Caleb Fort
Daily Lobo
The ASUNM senate passed their fall operating budget, diving up a total of $41,172 to student groups on Oct. 12.
The original amount requested by groups represented in the budget was $91,818.
Mike Mooney, ASUNM vice president, said he has not heard any complaints so far from student groups. He said this budget was planned better than the spring budget, which was cut by 15 percent because ASUNM couldn't afford it. He said efficient planning will help ASUNM avoid having to do similar reductions in next year's spring budget.
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Mooney said the fall budget is meant to give new groups money to get started with, and give existing groups enough money to continue operating until the spring when ASUNM's projected budget will be about $570,000.
Money for the spring and fall budgets comes from the $20 ASUNM fee students pay each semester.
The Residence Hall Association received $4,500, the most of any group. Other groups that came out on top were the Speech and Debate Society with $2,928 and Asian Students in America with $1,779.
About 50 groups applied for money and 20 received between $700 and $1,200.
The UNM Triathlon Team and the SGI Buddhist Club received no money. The Triathlon Team requested $4,750, and the Buddhist Club requested $167.
Andrea Roussel, Finance Committee Chair, said those groups did not receive money because they did not attend their scheduled hearing with the Finance Committee.
"If a group is really adamant about getting their money and really thinks they need it, they should show up to their hearing," she said.
Members from both groups were unavailable for comment.
A 15 percent deduction was made for groups who did not attend the budget workshop.
Mooney said ASUNM tries to be fair when recommending how much money student organizations will receive. He said it is hard to justify giving a lot of money to one group so they can go to several conferences across the country, when there is not enough money in the budget to allow all groups the same opportunity.
"Everyone gets treated as equally as possible," he said. "You can't make everyone happy, but we try to be fair."
Hussein Oueis, treasurer for the Muslim Student Association, said he was happy with the budget process.
"It was creative," he said. "The people we were talking to were very helpful."
His group originally requested $8,196 and got $1,472. He did not expect to get that much, he said, and was surprised his group got as much as it did.
He did not expect ASUNM's Finance Committee to be so helpful in coming up with other solutions, he said.
"For example, they'd say, 'We can't give you the money for it, but here's how you can get it for free,'" he said.
Groups could request money for specific items in their budget, like office supplies, food and travel expenses.
Roussel said the Finance Committee was responsible for the budget's success.
"I felt that the committee really picked up on their duties," she said. "They had their own opinions, and they did a really good job being fair across the board."
