Student Government (SG) discussed its budgeting, plans to provide subsidies for its top representatives, and Sexual Assault Advocacy Week at its tri-quarterly Assembly meeting yesterday.
Third-year Vice President for Administration Sofia Flores proposed shifting the proportion of money allocated between Student Government Financial Committee and Annual Allocations. The proposal did not suggest changing the combined amount of money that the two committees receive, but redistributing it so Annual Allocations would receive 72 percent of that pool and Student Government Financial Committee (SGFC) would receive 28 percent, rather than 65 percent and 35 percent, respectively.
Based on the fact that Annual Allocations receives more requests than it can grant and SGFC has leftover funds, the resolution passed with 20 members in favor and one abstention. SG also discussed potentially funding undergraduate mixers and the distribution of the Chicago Tribune on campus, as well as potentially removing the earmarked undergraduate Student Government Travel Fund due to its lack of applications.
President and fourth-year Michael McCown raised the idea of establishing a potential stipend for top SG Cabinet members in order to make positions on SG more accessible to students who also work. He outlined aims of the stipend plans as increased access, greater accountability, and increased prestige and desirability of the job.
“It’s the piece about access that I think is front and center here,” he said.
The proposal would give $1,000 stipends per quarter to five members of SG’s Cabinet who dedicate, on average, 10–15 hours a week, which would include the president, vice presidents, and Graduate and College Council chairs. SG discussed but did not vote on this idea.
Flores also introduced the University’s first Sexual Assault Awareness Week, which will take place during the week of May 19. The Week is funded by Executive Slate’s administration budget and will feature a variety of events coordinated by SG and various other campus partners. Flores said she hopes to make Sexual Assault Awareness Week an annual event and to establish an earmark for it.
