Money and membership issues for USG
Gregory Royal Pratt
Issue date: 9/7/09 Section: News
With reporting by Jake Nash and Erin Vogel, USG Beat Reporters
Last week the Undergraduate Student Government postponed a vote on whether or not members should receive compensation. It is expected to take place at this week's meeting. The Assembly also saw changes in its membership for the second week in a row.
Assemblyman Andrew Gehlhausen resigned from the body last week citing his busy schedule. USG also expelled all of its associate members aside from Sonja Rajic and Adam Rozalowski for missing meetings without valid excuses.
The assembly also held to elect three new members: Megan Calcatera, Jake Johnson, and Joel Ebert.
The USG Assembly is supposed to hold 30 members but currently stands at 15.
Heather Kaufman, chair of the finance committee, was tasked with presenting compensation figures at the meeting for various officials. The president would receive a maximum of $2500, the vice president $2000, and committee chairs $600. There is also a summer budget, with reduced figures, which would yield a $1,950 expenditure. The leftover budget for USG spending would be $29650
Compensation faces much opposition within the assembly. Several members, including Kaufman and new assemblywoman Calcaterra, flatly refuse to accept money, even if they lost the compensation vote. Joel Ebert criticizes the measure harshly, asking "Should the Assembly really be reducing its own budget by lining its own pockets with the money of the students? Even if I were given the opportunity to take it, there's no way I'm going to take it. There's a side of me that wants to be greedy and say, 'Yeah, I'll take 500 dollars, sure, but I shouldn't take it and I won't."
Others make the point that student government officials work hard and give much of their time and energy to the student body and deserve to be compensated accordingly.
Last week the Undergraduate Student Government postponed a vote on whether or not members should receive compensation. It is expected to take place at this week's meeting. The Assembly also saw changes in its membership for the second week in a row.
Assemblyman Andrew Gehlhausen resigned from the body last week citing his busy schedule. USG also expelled all of its associate members aside from Sonja Rajic and Adam Rozalowski for missing meetings without valid excuses.
The assembly also held to elect three new members: Megan Calcatera, Jake Johnson, and Joel Ebert.
The USG Assembly is supposed to hold 30 members but currently stands at 15.
Heather Kaufman, chair of the finance committee, was tasked with presenting compensation figures at the meeting for various officials. The president would receive a maximum of $2500, the vice president $2000, and committee chairs $600. There is also a summer budget, with reduced figures, which would yield a $1,950 expenditure. The leftover budget for USG spending would be $29650
Compensation faces much opposition within the assembly. Several members, including Kaufman and new assemblywoman Calcaterra, flatly refuse to accept money, even if they lost the compensation vote. Joel Ebert criticizes the measure harshly, asking "Should the Assembly really be reducing its own budget by lining its own pockets with the money of the students? Even if I were given the opportunity to take it, there's no way I'm going to take it. There's a side of me that wants to be greedy and say, 'Yeah, I'll take 500 dollars, sure, but I shouldn't take it and I won't."
Others make the point that student government officials work hard and give much of their time and energy to the student body and deserve to be compensated accordingly.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
Zachariah B. Wiedeman
posted 9/25/09 @ 7:03 PM CST
Fact check: The USG Assembly is supposed to hold 34 members. Try harder next time...
ZBW is a loser
posted 9/27/09 @ 2:33 PM CST
Ruh roh, Big Z is done biding his time!1111111111111!!!1!!!
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