Haynes outlined his plans for the increased budget. The Amherst College Program Board will continue to receive $20,000 per semester. The additional $48,000 that will result from the raised fee will be used to implement new programs sponsored by the Keefe Campus Center. The Campus Center currently funds programs such as "Mr. Gad's House of Improv" and co-sponsors groups like FLICS, which brings weekly film screenings to the Campus Center.
Haynes outlined the new programs in order of their priority; the Campus Center's budget will still not be sufficient to implement all of the programs in full. Haynes will plan a Campus Center night for freshmen during orientation that will feature an outdoor barbecue and live band. Haynes also wants to fund late-night events (beginning at midnight) on Friday and Saturday nights. Another possible program would be a leadership program helping student leaders to program and plan campus events more effectively. Haynes also mentioned a new cultural program featuring different cultures on a rotating basis and bringing performers and food to foster understanding.
The fee has not been raised since 1995, when it was increased from $40 to $50. Before that, it was raised in 1992 from $30 to $40, after being implemented in 1987 at $30.
Haynes also tried to allay fears of low attendance at proposed programming events. "If it's not working, we'd look to invest the funds in something else ... Maybe something more costly but less frequent," he said.
Haynes also requested permission to direct some of the $48,000 allotted annually to the yearbook, The Olio, to provide stipends for editors. He explained that there is "no one working on it right now ... Smith currently pays two editors stipends of $1,800 per year ... It really is a job," he said. A motion to approve the request was unanimously approved.
Budgetary Committee (BC) Chair, Livia Angiolillo '04, submitted this week's budgetary recommendations to the Senate. Senators voted to amend these recommendations following an appeal led by club president Leora Maccabee '05. They increased funding for "Does God Want War?", an event this Friday sponsored by several religiously-affiliated groups. Maccabee also asked the senate to allot Hillel more money for its weekly Friday night dinners. The senate eventually fully funded the event and provided Hillel with $800 for the weekly dinners.
Before allotment was possible, the senate had to vote to combine the remaining programming and discretionary funds into one fund for the remainder of the year. The senate allotted $7,443.01 this week, leaving $29,578.64 in the newly-combined fund.
Angiolillo also announced that budgets are due this Friday by 5 p.m.; appeals will begin after spring break so that next year's budget will be ready for the next group of elected officials of the AAS, in accordance with AAS bylaws.
The senate held elections for committee seats. There were several vacancies because newly-elected senators were without committee appointments. Ethan Davis '05 ran unopposed for the Judiciary Committee. Rania Arja '06 volunteered to join the Library Committee. A.J. Korytoski '04 and Paris Wallace '04 also volunteered to join the Committee on Physical Education and Athletics. Blake Sparrow '04 ran unopposed for a seat on the Martin Luther King, Jr. Committee.
Sparrow ran against Wallace for one seat for a junior on the College Council. Wallace won by 13 votes.
Geoff Walter '04 defeated Dan Berch '03 for a seat on the Trustee Advisory Committee to the Committee on Trusteeship. Berch later ran unopposed for a seat on the elections committee.
The senate also voted to add a permanent committee on dining services to the AAS bylaws. The committee will act as a liaison to Valentine dining services. Five students volunteered to serve on it.
Mike Flood '03 raised the issue of the future of the weekly Amherst Community Teas. This event is currently funded by an alumnus who will withdraw funding after this year. No office on campus has expressed an interest in shouldering the financial burden. The senate voted to allot $4,000 from its administrative funds to pay for the teas for the next semester only.
Stacey Kennard '03 succeeded in persuading the senate to approve $2,000 from administrative funds to sponsor the TYPO program for upperclassmen. This is nowhere near the $15,000 that the program cost for upperclassmen last semester. The maximum amount each person may spend will decrease from $18 per person to $15. Upperclassmen will use the AAS allotted funds this semester.