The Adventure Learning Programs organization was given a second chance Monday night to get a favorable budget from the Student Services Finance Committee.
This second chance came after the Student Judiciary ruled that due process was compromised in the original budget hearing, in which one of the committee members who was not present the entire meeting argued and voted on the budget decision for ALPs.
The final decision favored ALPs, giving the group everything it proposed, except minor decreases in travel and printing expenses. The final budget totals an estimated $98,962, which is an increase over last year’s budget.
“We appealed the ALPs funding decision not because we were disappointed with the decision, but [because we disagreed] with how the decision was made” said Jeremy Jewett, ALPs representative and coordinator.
ALPs is a student organization that claims to provide team-oriented activities that are designed to be challenging and thrilling, while building group-working abilities.
In the original budget hearing, ALPs received half of what it requested at Monday’s budget meeting. The group also lost funds for a full-time employee.
“As ALPs now exists, we just manage to keep our heads above water,” said Kat Findley, an ALPS representative.
The primary goal the ALPs representatives sought was to get a full-time educator added back into the budget. The full-time position would be for a student service specialist who would receive $34,100 — an amount that was originally removed from the budget.
Findley suggested the reason a full-time specialist is needed for program continuity is because ALPs faces a high turnover in employment, and a full-time salary employee would give the organization added stability.
“A full-time person would provide continuity and training that a part-time student can’t provide,” she said.
Jeremy Jewett went on to describe the need for a full-time employee from a liability standpoint, pointing out the risks involved in the services they provide.
“Kat and I are extremely competent, but we can’t do what a full-time person can do,” Jewett said. “There is an inherent risk that needs to be addressed.”
While most of the committee members believe the organization needs a full-time employee, ASM council member Tom Clark felt there are better ways to spend the money required to keep a full-time specialist on staff.
“I don’t see how adding a full-time staff member would help facilitators meet the workload,” Clark said. “If we want to help ALPs, a good way of doing this is doubling the coordinators and doubling the facilitators.”
ALPs also sought budget increases for its coordinator and facilitator positions, for which it currently has 22 people on staff.
Even though the SSFC does not normally vote on a budget proposal the same day of the hearing, the committee voted to suspend the rules in this case since the Student Judiciary requested it be voted on at the same committee meeting. This meant the committee was able to make a decision Monday night.
“It took a long time, but we got the fair chance that we wanted all along,” Jewett said.
The SSFC also made budget decisions on the Student Judiciary, approving a budget of $44,800, and the SSFC Administrative budget, approving a 3 percent pay increase for the chair and vice chair to $3,600 and $1,900 respectively.
