Following a heated discussion Monday night on whether to make some Students’ Association funds available for Greek groups, the senate approved the measure only to have it vetoed by senior and SA President Pete Nabozny.
The proposal, put forward by senior Senator and Alpha Delta Phi member Alex Brody, requested that up to $5,000 of the remaining $13,000 currently in the Transportation Fund be opened up as a supplemental fund for Greek organizations.
The money would be used exclusively for programming to benefit the entire campus community including philanthropic and educational initiatives – not for exclusive events, alcohol at parties or rush activities. Each organization would only be allowed to take $500 per program to prevent one group from commandeering the entire fund.
“This is necessary because the administration is in the process of changing the Greek structure, and this will send a signal saying that we think Greek groups are important,” Brody said. “Also, there is a fractured relationship between Greeks and the SA. With groups going before [the Students’ Association Appropriations Committee] for funds, communication will be increased. Additionally, many students are involved only in Greek groups and therefore don’t get any use out of their $210 student activities fee.”
“We have a lot of ideas for programs in my sorority,” senior Sigma Delta Tau member and Senator Krystle Dixon said. “Unfortunately we have to scrap a lot of them because we just don’t have the money.”
While many senators expressed their overall approval of the idea, they did not support it in its current form.
“No one is disputing that Greeks provide many valuable events,” sophomore and Senator Tyson Ford said. “This could be beneficial, but this proposal lacks the structure that must come first. We would be creating a fund with no clear purpose.”
“Philanthropic and other initiatives will become requirements from the administration next year,” Brody said. “They will be unfunded mandates.”
“I don’t know how I feel,” junior and Senator Dave Ladon said. “Greeks will get screwed, but [this proposal] is just notes. I need to see Greek budgets to make an informed decision. This is insufficient.”
Some questioned the deepness of the separation of Greeks and the SA, as nine of the twenty senators are active in Greek organizations.
“The fracture between the SA and Greeks may actually be a good thing,” junior and Senator Joe Cala said. “The SA provides a good alternative for students who do not want to be involved in the Greek system.”
“It is students’ choices not to be involved with SA funded organizations,” junior and Senator Gordon Arsenoff said. “It is their decision not to utilize the money, they pay into the student activity fee.”
Immediately following the vote Nabozny issued the first veto of his administration. “I’m vetoing this,” Nabozny said. “I don’t want to veto this, but we need to figure out what we’re doing first. I love this idea – it just is not ready yet. If we want this to be accepted, this is not the way to do it – no one even saw the proposal before tonight.”
Nabozny encouraged senators to talk with their constituents to gain their insight. Additionally, he hopes to see editorials and letters about this idea.
“I would prefer to set up a long-term plan and include this as a budget item for next year,” Nabozny said. “There are still a lot of issues and restrictions to be worked out.”
The original vote passed ten votes in favor and six against, with one abstaining. Seven of the eight Greek affiliated senators present voted in favor of the proposal, while one abstained. Following Nabozny’s veto announcement, the senate tried to overrule the veto. The second vote failed to gain the two-thirds majority of 12 senators to overturn the veto by two votes.
Keesing can be reached at jkeesing@campustimes.org.
