Haynes explained that he made the announcement to make the College campus more aware of the AAS budget. "The significance [of the announcement] from my point of view was one of alerting the AAS senate that a large amount of money has accumulated in the AAS reserves account and that they should consider spending some of it at this time," said Haynes.
AAS Treasurer Sam Siegal '08 explained that the decision to reveal the amount was made between her and Haynes. Although the decision rests with the residing AAS treasurer, past treasurers have opted not to disclose budget information in order to limit the number of possible unnecessary requests for funding.
Haynes also added that he recommended that Siegal make the announcement in order to resolve a misconception that the AAS has limited funding. According to Haynes, past senators tended to be conservative spenders, rendering large amounts of unspent money while discouraging students from pursuing big projects. As a result, students began to believe that the AAS was short on funds.
For some senators, Haynes' announcement was unexpected. "I was a bit surprised that Dean Haynes chose to tell the student body, but I am happy that we now know how much is available," said Senator Josh Stein '08.
The revelation also spurred discussion among senators regarding the appropriate use of the funds. Haynes suggested that the senate budget at 110 percent. Currently, AAS budgets 95 percent of its operating budget, which consists of the club budget, the discretionary fund and the master general. Haynes' proposal considers obtaining the extra 15 percent from the reserve of $200,000. However, Siegal emphasized that Haynes' proposal will not be implemented in the near future and that nothing has been decided.
Stein hopes that money will be used for long-term capital investitures. "I think the [Council of Amherst Publications] could use more funding, the senate could offer more programs like the Bradley Shuttle and student-sponsored speakers could be funded more readily," he said.
Other suggestions include an AAS sponsored event such as a dance, and a program in which students will compete to have senate-funded service projects.
Siegal emphasized that the AAS is currently working to put the reserves to good use. "[AAS] is not in a position to make a definitive decision on what to do about the money," she said. "[It] is more focused on using money to flesh out proposals and support the Amherst College community."
The AAS has already started several initiatives. One senate project called "The Book" seeks to provide guidelines to club heads interested in obtaining funds for their organizations. Some of the guidelines AAS hopes to clarify are when clubs can receive funding for food and how much of the honorarium the senate can cover.
Another project underway is known among the senators as the "Wedding Registries." This initiative creates a new Web site for discretionary funding requests. The AAS hopes to list on the online form, all the academic and administrative departments with available funding and allow discretionary requests to be forwarded to the Budgetary Committee and departments. The departments will then be able to pick and fund certain parts of an itemized budget list.
Storage units will also be ordered for the basement of Pond Dormitory. These units will be available for clubs to use throughout the year. Siegal also revealed that research is underway for new ping pong or air hockey tables in the Keefe Campus Center game room.