With a great budget comes great responsibilities.
A resolution to maximize the use of the Associated Students of Colorado State University’s $57 million in student fees was discussed during Wednesday night’s senate session. Senators also brought forward a bill to acknowledge the history of the Native American land the University was built on, as well as a resolution to voice displeasure at the parking policies on campus when football games are held on weekdays.
Resolution to maximize use of student fees discussed
College of Liberal Arts Senator Ethan Burshek presented a nonbinding resolution that he said he sees as a step towards decreasing the amount of student fees. The resolution would decrease budget excesses and carryover money from one ASCSU administration to the next.
“What this attempts to do is compel, suggest or recommend increased spending up and to the point of spending the entire amount of student fees that we are allocated,” Burshek said. “In the event that you do not spend all of your allocated funding, you do not request more than what you spent.”
The resolution would ask that ASCSU not request an amount of student fees that would put them above their maximum holdings in the previous year.
“Let’s say ASCSU spends $50,000 in a year,” Burshek said. “The next year we would not request more than $50,000.”
ASCSU would be able to request less money, though, which Burshek hopes would lead to better use of the money.
“I see this having one of two outcomes, and neither of those outcomes do I see as bad,” Burshek said. “One of the outcomes I see is we reduce student fees because we cannot spend them. The other outcome is we find more deserving ways to spend it and this University becomes increasingly better and better by leaps and bounds.”
Land Acknowledgement bill brought to Senate
Senator Milena Castaneda and Associate Senator Raven Pinto of the Native American Cultural Center presented a bill to acknowledge the use of Native land by CSU.
If passed, the bill would require that the first, middle and last Senate sessions of each semester begin with the recital of a phrase acknowledging that the University is built on “traditional and ancestral homelands of the Arapaho, Cheyenne and Ute Nations and peoples.”
“Each one of your colleges and (Student Diversity Programs and Services) offices mostly like have someone from this background and I think it’s important that we acknowledge the land that we’re on,” Castaneda said.
Castaneda told the Senate she had spoken to CSU President Tony Frank about the bill and voiced his support for it.
Weekday Game Day Parking resolution introduced
Senator Kyle Witter of the College of Liberal Arts introduced his resolution to express the displeasure of students about parking policies on football game days that land during the week.
This resolution was in response to parking problems faced by people on campus during the Friday Border War, when parking lots were closed early.
“While we as students don’t have a lot of say in scheduling football games, we can make our voices heard,” Witter said.
Football games are scheduled by the athletic conferences, in CSU’s case the Mountain West Conference, and T.V. networks that air the games.
Women’s Caucus Chair Merall Sherif spoke on the power of the resolution, saying that while outside forces like the Mountain West and TV sports networks may have control of these events, ASCSU should still speak up to the fullest extent that they are allowed.
“We were given our seats by our college councils, and all of our positions, because students trusted us to be able to speak up about something when they’re upset about it,” Sherif said. “I think we need to continue with that spirit with all due respect to all parties.”
Stuart Smith can be reached at news@collegian.com or on Twitter @stuartsmithnews
