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SGA told to re-work its student fee proposal
 

Cougar News Staff

The Student Fees Advisory Committee cut the Student Government Association's hearing short Tuesday because the committee found errors in the SGA's budget, including the way it was formatted.

SGA was told to re-work its proposal and make a new presentation at 11:30 a.m. Friday in the University Center's Bluebonnet Room.

"When we got to the budget, the form wasn't complete and the committee couldn't tell if any of the expenditures increased or decreased because of the way it was formatted," Dean of Students William Munson said.

Munson said the Senate's actual expenses also weren't represented on the form.

In addition, the SGA's handout was in ledger form rather than the Microsoft Excel copy the committee received earlier, SGA President Dawona Miller said.

"We were trying to refer them to the documentation that we provided them that had all the information, but they wanted it in the format for SFAC," SGA Vice President Jon Quintanilla said.

As for who's to blame for the error, "it's all of (the SGA Senate executives') responsibility," Quintanilla said.

Frontier Fiesta Association Chairman David Dalton also made the presentation for his group Tuesday, saying the theme of the annual spring carnival would be changing from a "wild West" festival to a "showcase for the University of Houston."

Dalton requested a $16,800 increase in base funding beginning in fiscal year 2005 to cover the annual rent at its storage warehouse just east of the campus. The rent on the 11,500-square-foot warehouse is $1,400 a month, or about 12 cents per square foot -- a rate much lower than locations farther from campus, according to the Fiesta Association's report.

Fiesta's total request is $72,062.

Among the other groups presenting Tuesday was the UH Forensic Society, which requested $165,267, including a $9,200 one-time request to help host the national championship of the National Academic Debate Association in May 2005.

NADA will offer a national championship in parliamentary debate, which the society said is the fastest-growing event in high school and college forensics. UH will also host the National Junior Forensic League championship in June, which will offer the first-ever national championship in parliamentary debate.

Factoring into the society's request -- an increase of more than $100,000 over last year's -- is a $62,000 salary for Michael Fain, the group's director, who now serves as a volunteer.

"This is a big ask," faculty SFAC member Wilford Weber said. "Is there a halfway?"

"Halfway means you get half a director," Fain replied.

In other business, the University Health Center requested $1.57 million; the Blaffer Gallery asked for $10,000; the Department of Campus Activities requested $506,048; the Activities Funding Board asked for $88,335; the Metropolitan Volunteer Program requested $41,840; and the Council of Ethnic Organizations requested $105,341.

SFAC hearings will resume at 8:45 a.m. Friday and will conclude that afternoon.

With reporting by staff writers Jennifer Brzowski, Saba Jamali, Geronimo Rodriguez and Christian Schmidt.
 

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