Duke Student Government Senate focused its Wednesday meeting on funding, chartering and dechartering student organizations.
The senate allocated $35,196.69 to student organization events, leaving a little more than $40,000 left to allocate for over the course of the semester, said Student Organization Finance Committee Chair Joyce Lau, a junior. Lau noted that this is an unusually large amount to be allocated at once, but it was necessary based on the proposals SOFC received. She said she is confident that SOFC will have sufficient funding for the remainder of the semester.
“There have been a lot of big-ticket items that are newer and that are coming at this time, and there has definitely been an influx of groups requesting programing,” Lau said.
The senate approved: $3,335.49 to Blue Devils United for the Lavender Ball and Drag Show that will take place April 4; $6,355 to the Duke Dance Marathon for their event on March 22; $2,144 to Duke Relay for Life for their event on April 4; $7,233.54 to Duke Student Government for Academic Homecoming on March 20; $2,480 to the International Association for Pangea Night on March 21; $2,404 to Lambda Phi Epsilon and Kappa Phi Lambda for D-Pryde on March 20; $3,430.15 to Lambda Upsilon Lambda Fraternity, Inc. for Noche Dorada on April 19; $4,870 to the Nasher Student Advisory Board for Hot Rhythm: The Nasher Speakeasy on March 21; and $6,280 to the Coalition for Preserving Memory for Music Night on April 9.
Lau noted that inactive groups will be dechartered after spring break and student group leaders should check the dechartered list that was sent in the DSG Weekly Digest on Feb. 27. Dechartering groups will bring some funding back to the SOFC pool, and a recent change to SOFC bylaws will allow the committee to audit groups for their activity and use of funding.
“With the new auditing contract and with the dechartering of groups, I think we’ll be getting a lot of money back,” Lau said. “I know that there are a few more requests coming down the pipeline, but we will be fine.”
DSG President Stefani Jones, a senior, said she has approached the Alumni Association about funding the Chanticleer, a change that would take the responsibility for funding it away from SOFC.
The Senate granted chartered status to Momentum Dance Company, an all-female multi-dance troupe and Microgravity, a club that organizes teams to participate in NASA’s Reduced Gravity Student Program. The senate also granted recognized status to Street Medicine, an urban dance group for all skill levels.
In other news:
DSG Executive Vice President Nikolai Doytchinov and Lau presented an updated SOFC bylaw to the senate, which include two changes: DuArts was added as a "bucket group" representative on SOFC, and each group within a bucket group will now have the right to submit its own budget. The Senate approved these changes.
Freshman senator Tanner Lockhead introduced a resolution for an on-campus voting site to be implemented for the 2014 primary election cycle. The senate unanimously approved the resolution.
“As members of DSG, we all know how important it is to participate in the political process, and I think this change will make it all lot easier,” Lockhead said.
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