The Student Senate recently did a great disservice to its constituents. Instead of making a simple proposal to the Executive Board to fund the Ruckus music service next year, they passed a motion in direct violation of the Student Union’s constitution by allocating the funds for it themselves before approving the increase to next year’s activity fee.

Even though they never received a proposal to fund Ruckus through the activity fee, the E-Board, in anticipation of such a proposal, increased next year’s club contingency budget to match the rumored $10,000 cost of the service. But that wasn’t enough for senators Bob Fishel ’07 and Mike Goldenberg ’06. They insisted that the money be

specifically allocated for Ruckus immediately.

If that sounds wrong to you, it should. The E-Board is supposed to do the budgeting, not the Senate. The Senate works with the E-Board and approves changes in the amount of the activity fee but it has no authority to alter specific items. A part of the Senate’s Student Life Committee is the Activity Fee Subcommittee, which is specifically tasked with working with the E-Board to negotiate the next year’s fee. Senators were invited to participate in this committee, and neither Mr. Fishel nor Mr. Goldenberg chose to do so.

The committee—including members of the Senate—passed the activity fee packet unanimously with the understanding that the extra $10,000 was there should anyone choose to make a proposal to fund Ruckus with it.

This sets a horrible example for the future. If the Student Senate can slip items into the activity fee at the last minute without going through a rigorous budgeting process, then as a Student Union we’ve lost much of the financial responsibility that countless Executive Boards, presidents of the Union, and administrators like Director of the Union Rick Hartt and Activities Coordinator Cameron McLean have worked so hard for so many years to create and maintain.

Robert “Big O” Otlowski