A student governing finance committee approved F.H. King’s Students for Sustainable Agriculture budget and heard a budget proposal from Campus Women’s Center.
The Student Services Finance Committee approved a budget of $70,484.31 for F.H. King, about a $400 decrease from its proposed budget last week.
SSFC approves SPILL’s budget, hears F.H. King’s budget proposal
Sunil Misra, a representative from F.H. King, clarified the purpose of their internship program and the issue revolving around intern’s opportunity to receive credit.
“The money we spend goes to putting on workshops geared to the intern body as a whole but open and advertised to all students,” he said. “The money isn’t used to coordinate anything that’s going on in the garden or credits that can be earned.”
SSFC Vice Chair Thuy Pham said his biggest concern was the internship program because of the rules of SSFC. He said the committee cannot fund for credit generating activities and if it did, as in this case, it would be blurring the lines.
“The intent of the internship program is not to issue credits for students,” Rep. Dylan Fielder said. “There are some ways that students could eventually gain credits, but the internship is not made to provide those credits for those students. It is not their intent.”
SSFC Rep. Erin Harper said only four of 38 interns last year received credit, so it doesn’t seem like much of a concern and the committee is not directly giving credit.
In discussing the cutting of some of the funding within the internship, Misra said the organization would have fewer resources.
“We will have fewer resources to devote to students who are genuinely interested in the mission of the organization,” she said. “We will also have less funds to devote to the workshop we put together.”
SSFC Rep. Callen Ravaret said he disagrees with the idea that the internships are not focused around gaining credit. There is a clear marketing tool being used with showcasing credit as a potential benefit from being an intern, he said.
F.H. King’s Students for Sustainable Agriculture was hoping for $400 worth for supplies which would go toward workshops open for interns and all students and also $300 for apparel, the representative said.
Ultimately, after discussion of possibly adding $100 back to the line item, committee members voted to cut the funding from the program.
The Campus Women’s Center’s budget for this coming year was presented by Harper, who is also an SSFC representative, as the head. The total proposed budget is $85,103.70.
CWC provides support services for women-indentified individuals while providing educational resources about women’s issues to campus, according to their website.
Harper said the organization is looking to change the workers pay from $9.14 to $9.44 and change their work hours over the summer to seven hours a week.
The CWC requested $6,000, no increase from last years supplies and services and other amendments to their programming budgets such as $800 for their self defense workshops, $150 for kids’ time, $550 for Kid’s Night Out and more, Harper said.
Upcoming SSFC events include a conflict resolution involving Sex Out Loud Nov. 12, internal budget review Nov. 17 and a union presentation Dec. 1, SSFC Chair Devon Maier said.
