Allocations of 606 funding to various organizations were debated during Tuesday’s SGA meeting.
Senators were given a list of 20 student organizations that had requested 606 funding. The list had the amount requested and the amount recommended by the 606 funding committee. The senate was given the opportunity to pull organizations from the calendar and discuss the reasons for the recommendation.
606 funding comes from the $3 fee that every student pays each semester. This money is put into a 606 fund and is then allocated to student organizations based on need. The 606 fund has roughly $33,000 available.
Twelve organizations were pulled from the consent calendar to be discussed. Senator Diana Bowers, chair of the 606 Funding Committee, led the discussion.
Some allocations were voted on with little discussion. Others however, were not so easily resolved.
The Orientation Leaders’ Association had requested $4,853.52 in 606 funding in order to pay for a national conference in which their orientation and Preview leaders would be performing a skit that they had written.
“They’re going to be affecting people who are going to keep on affecting people,” said Senator Kobelah Bennah.
President Jennifer Berry said she would veto the amount recommended by the committee, a sum of $1650, if this was the amount the senate agreed on.
After much discussion, OLA’s request was tabled until the end. The same thing happened with the SGA’s own request for 606 funding.
Representatives from the various organizations were present to speak on their behalf. According to Senator Chris Ziegler, president pro-tempore, this is one of the first times this has been done. Normally, what is said in the committee meeting is what goes, and organizations are not given another chance to address the issue except in special circumstances.
There were five groups that did not receive 606 funding. They were the Respiratory Therapy Association First Year, the Public Relations Student Society of America, Alpha Psi Omega, the Cycling Club and the Art Students League. Of these, three were discussed and receiving funding. The meeting was even closed in order to discuss the Cycling Club’s request.
“We’re here for the students, Berry said. “They pay that fee the same way we do.”
There was much discussion over what type of events the 606 funding should be used for.
Whether or not the event was on or off campus played a huge role in the debates.
“On campus involvement is good if we have involvement,” said Nate Bailey, SGA secretary of the interior, who also serves as a liaison between SGA and other student organizations. “At this point in the university’s growth, do we have involvement we need, or do we need to learn how to improve involvement?”
After even further debate on the OLA allocation request, a motion to give the group $2250, the maximum funding allowed under normal circumstances, was made and voted down.
It was voted that OLA would be given $2249.99
It was approved with a tie-breaking vote by Aaron Caton, SGA vice president. A motion cannot be repeated; therefore the dollar amount had to be altered, even by so little as a cent.
“I feel that we might be committing an injustice to all the students who will be going through Preview next year and the year after that and the year after that,” Bennah said.
The SGA’s request for funding was tabled until next week.
After three hours of discussing 606 funding, the senate approved committee appointments, and Caton addressed the senate regarding the judge’s orders concerning the 606 funding misallocations.
“We need to find a way to fix 606,” Caton said.
After a meeting filled with disagreements and controversy, the senators went home.
One student who attended the meeting was frustrated by the actions of the senate while others had the floor.
ETSU student M.D. Black said, “I accidentally stumbled into an SGA meeting and found something that disappointed me. There was no respect given in that room to anyone.
“There were many senators talking and being loud when others had the floor to state their case. It was ridiculous,” she said. “To me, if the senators are not willing to listen to members of organizations and the student body, then exactly how are they benefiting the student body?

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