<nday, the CSA met to discuss several important issues. They first listened to the appeal of Model UN to grant them their full bid of $585 for transportation instead of the $355 recommended by the budget committee, which would require students to pay a fee. MUN argued that the only reason they needed the extra money in the first place was an unfortunate mix-up in Vancouver, when one of their students was denied a visa and they could not refund the plane ticket. The CSA approved the full bid.
Afterwards, they reviewed the rest of the Budget Committee’s recommendations, approving: $90 for the Akido Club’s crepe fundraising; $952 for CRIC to attend a networking conference; $850 for the Folk Music Society; $565 for ETB; $220 for Chinese Club’s New Year festival; $60 for MSPC’s crepe fundraising; and $2516 for ASIA Club’s Lunar New Year performance.
Vice President Isaac Hodes transitioned into discussing the creation of a bylaw requiring student organizations to look for alternate sources of funding before approaching the CSA. Most senators agreed with the intention of this bylaw, but debated the specifics.
“The biggest concern is not turning it into a perpetual cycle,” said Senator Marc Boyce, concerned that such a strict bylaw may make it difficult for events not belonging to any specific department or organization to approach the CSA Budget Committee. After debating the issue, the Senate chose to table the issue.
Next, the senate approved the charters for student organizations, including the Catholic Student Association, Unitarian Universalists, and Women in Math & Science.
Then, Hodes raised the topic of requiring Event Follow-Up Forms for all CSA-funded events, saying there is a definite need for making sure events’ funding are successful. Most senators agreed with instituting this policy, with Senator Ned Hackman adding that filling out those forms is “annoying, but doesn’t require brainpower.” There was, however, some debate on what the penalty for neglecting this would be; the Senate did not reach any concrete decision regarding this issue.
The Senate then discussed moving anywhere from $2000 to $4000 from the capital reserves to special allocations. Some senators expressed concern about the sustainability of such an action, but the movement nevertheless passed.
Finally, President Jinai Bharucha explained the function of the Alcohol Review Board toall senators, emphasizing that this is only an advisory organization and does not have the authority to enact changes in Carleton’s current alcohol policy. Rather, it was enacted for legal purposes and merely brainstorms possible issues related to alcohol use; any direct modifications to the school’s guidelines must go through Dean Wagner.