Though the 2004-2005 base budget allocations were recently approved by the Undergraduate Students Association Council, the funding process may not be over yet.
For this year’s allocations, 42 of the 134 groups who applied were denied funding, and a number of groups have already made the decision to appeal the process. A few groups are also planning to join together in hopes to increase their chances of obtaining more money.
Jon Binney, a leader of Robotics Project and Eta Kappa Nu, neither of which received funding, has joined leaders from other groups to appeal. He believes the interpretation of the criteria used to allocate funds is too subjective and tends to vary from year to year. USAC bylaws state that in order to receive funding, groups need to provide programming that includes the campus as a whole and also promotes discussion.
Eta Kappa Nu, an electrical and computer engineering honor society, has received base funding in the past – more than $2,000 worth.
Binney explained that the group’s programming has not changed and the application was also extremely similar to that of previous years.
Unlike this inconsistency in funding, the groups who receive the biggest portions of the budget have remained largely the same in the past years.
MEChA, which received the highest allocation, is one of those groups.
Andy Ramirez, chairman of the organization, believes that what sets his group apart from the rest is their history and consistent programming.
Previously, there has been speculation about MEChA receiving generous funding as a result of their close ties to the Students First! slate, which has been dominating the council in recent history.
Ramirez disagreed and said, “(The review committee) was tougher on us because we had to make sure that people couldn’t say that.”
Criticisms about the base budget process are nothing new.
Last year, the Jewish Student Union voiced their concerns with their own allocations and also the process as a whole. The group took their case to the Judicial Board for reconsideration but was rejected.
JSU president Andy Green said that with the budget opened to all groups, this year’s process was very different and a lot better as a whole.
“Also, because maximum allocation was lower, there was more equitable distribution between groups that applied,” he added.
Despite what many believe is a step in the right direction, UCLA Greeks still believe that they are being left out of the process.
Tracy Ohara, Budget Review Director, believes that most Greeks do not qualify for funding since their programming is exclusive.
Gamma Phi Beta president Stacy Miles disagrees and said her house provides programming that is open to the campus. She added that all groups will naturally have more programming for their members.
Gamma Phi Beta received no funding, and Miles has plans to appeal the decision.