The Associated Students at the University of New Mexico distributed $31,545 among eight student organizations during a full senate meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 25. The senators also voted to allow themselves more flexibility on when to meet with their sponsored student organizations.
All eight appropriations and the lone bill on the agenda passed unanimously, with one senator abstaining. ASUNM President Ian May told the Daily Lobo he intends to sign off on everything.
Once per semester, student orgs can submit an appropriation – a request for travel funds and money for other one-time expenses, according to the ASUNM website.
Three club sports teams — the men’s lacrosse team, women’s rugby team and club soccer team — received a combined $12,632.
The other five student orgs — the Iranian Students’ Association, the American Nuclear Society, the Professional Sales Association, the Pre-Dental Society and the Society of Women Engineers — received a total of $18,913.
Just one bill, labeled “1S,” was on the meeting docket.
Bill 1S requires senators to spend four hours every four weeks visiting with their assigned student orgs. This allows them to allocate the hours as they see fit over the four weeks as opposed to the prior, more rigid one hour per week requirement. The required time remains the same, though.
The former requirement was difficult to fulfill last semester, and the change will give senators more flexibility, ASUNM senator Jacqueline Martin said.
Each of the 20 senators serve as sponsors for a number of student orgs. There are 339 chartered student orgs, according to the Student Activities Center website.
The full senate meets again on Wednesday, Feb. 8. Full senate meetings are open to public comment.
Gabriel Saiz is a freelance reporter at the Daily Lobo. He can be contacted at news@dailylobo.com
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