Sen. Bryan Banning proposed a reappropriation of funds for the Alternative Spring Break in Monday’s SGA meeting.
“ASB is a group of VCU students that get together a year in advance to plan group-volunteer work over spring break,” Banning said.
In March, ASB traveled to New Orleans with about 50 volunteers to help repair damage caused by Hurricane Katrina.
“For people in New Orleans, demucking one house costs about $10,000,” Banning said. “We did (repaired) 10 houses, saving people about $100,000.
“Funding plays a role in the number of students who can participate in this trip. Funding is not solely from SGA. There is a sincere need for more funds. The funds directly affect the size of the organization.”
Banning then proposed cutting $4,000 in funds from VOX @ VCU, an organization that promotes and increases student awareness about sexual health and contraceptive information on campus and in the community.
During his presentation, Banning told senators that the appropriations committee approved $10,000, more than any other organization, for VOX to sponsor two public speakers. Banning then proposed taking $4,000 from VOX’s speaker fees to leave them with enough money to have one speaker.
Emad Maghsoudi, vice chairman of the Senate, then moved that the Senate instead take the $4,000 for ASB from SGA’s Pizza Break account.
“I would much rather see us take money from SGA than from other organizations,” Maghsoudi said to the student legislators.
Maghsoudi also recommended reappropriating the remaining $1,000 of the SGA’s Pizza Break budget to help develop VCU’s Swim Club, which would help pay for its race-registration fees.
In further business, the senate re-elected Kathryn O’Leary, a third-year, as its special assistant for political affairs, and Ashlee Thomas, a fourth-year mass communications major, as its special assistant for student affairs.