The Associated Students Organization (ASO) budget for 2011-12 school year has been finalized.
The budget, which is derived solely through an optional $7 student membership fee, health and student representation fees, amounts to $142,100.
Formation of the initial annual budget and evaluation of fund requests are carried out by the ASO Finance Committee, which is comprised of the ASO president, vice president and treasurer. The budget is then finalized by the ASO Senate and sent to the college president for approval.
According to ASO Advisor Brad Saenz, the Business Office handles all of student government finances.
“We’re talking about thousands of dollars here,” Saenz said. “You can’t give that kind of money to [the students who volunteer to be part of ASO].”
Money that isn’t set aside in the initial budget plan to be utilized for approved projects or events is placed under ASO Emergency Expenses, according to ASO treasurer-elect, Fernando Aquino.
“Whenever new events come up [throughout the school year] that need support, we get money from Emergency Expenses,” Aquino said.
The ASO is responsible for financially backing college programs including the annual commencement activities, extended library hours and outstanding student and teacher awards.
Fate of film festivals to be decided by next year’s ASO
It was decided during the Finance Committee meeting that established the initial budget that funding for all club-sponsored film festivals be cut for next year.
According to ASO President Daniel Axelrod, the student government will most likely end up combining all the film screenings set for next year into a single, comprehensive film festival. The decision will be left to next year’s student government.
“There are just too many [financial] requests for film festivals,” Saenz said. “This move could potentially save ASO a lot of money.”
In the meantime, the money that was supposed to fund the film screenings has been placed in Emergency Expenses.
The cost of putting together a film festival ranges from a little more than $1,000 to several thousand, depending on the movies that are to be screened, according to Saenz.
He says that the majority of that money goes to buying the rights to screen the movie to an audience.
Preferred parking paid for by ASO
A portion of the annual ASO budget is set aside for the lease of campus parking lots reserved for students who pay for preferred parking.
“We rent the parking lots from the district, and we get money back from [the supplementary cost of obtaining a preferred parking pass],” said Saenz.
According to Bruce Rosky, associate vice president of administrative services, preferred parking, which costs an additional $7 during fall and spring semesters and $3 during winter and summer intercessions, is one of the benefits of ASO membership.
“It’s supposed to be a college-wide resource,” Rosky said. “ASO needs to have a legal agreement [with the district] to set it aside for [the students who pay for preferred parking].”
Rosky also added that the lease price started out as a significant amount when the agreement was first drawn up, but that the college president at the time fought to lower the amount to just $1,000.
All the parking spaces located on campus, with the exception of the stadium and El Rancho parking lots, are reserved for preferred parking.
ASO travel expenses and retreat paid for by students.
According to Axelrod, ASO isn’t allowed to fund travel expenses to off-campus activities unless said activities prove to be beneficial to the overall welfare of the student body.
“We fund them as long as they benefit everyone,” he said.
This is the case for the $12,000 allotment the ASO Financial Committee allows ASO retreat and travel expenses, according to Axelrod.
“We use the money to go to conferences and retreats that teach us how to effectively run the student government,” Axelrod said. “It isn’t just for us.”
Links:
http://www.laccd.edu/admin_regs/
http://pierceaso.webs.com/committees.htm
