Finances were the main order of business at last night’s Graduate Student Council (GSC) meeting.
The body approved event funding for three student groups and additional funds for two Graduate Student Programming Board (GSPB) events. GSPB requested $150 for beverages on Trivia Night and $200 for Grad Night Out, which is set to take place Mar. 11 at the Nuthouse. Both funding requests passed.
In addition, the GSC discussed discrepancies that appeared on two groups’ balance sheets. GSC funding chair Krystal St. Julien, a graduate student in biochemistry, said one group requested funds for an event but actually allocated the money to an entirely different one. A second group that had been granted “thousands” of dollars for programming expenses spent half of its allocation on food, he said.
St. Julien declined to reveal the names of either group. She said that the financial discrepancies have not been investigated, and that they are not necessarily an attempt to defraud the ASSU.
The GSC discussed the best way to ascertain an explanation for the discrepancies, but reached no resolution on the issue. One proposed solution, sending the groups before Judicial Affairs, was discounted because of how lengthy that process would be. Ryan Peacock, a member of the executive cabinet and a graduate student in chemical engineering, expressed a desire to keep the proceedings off the record until the GSC had completed a full audit of both groups’ records.
The GSC also debated two bills. The first sought to add three sections to Article IV of the ASSU Joint By-laws. The sections are designed to clarify the role of the ASSU Solicitors General. The changes will make it easier for students to file a grievance with the ASSU, with the Solicitors General serving as representatives for either side in any case. The bill passed with a 9-0-2 vote.
The GSC’s second bill was a move to confirm Neveen Mahmoud ’11 as the ASSU’s associate financial manager, after the Financial Manager Selection Committee nominated her for the position. Mahmoud appeared before the GSC and explained her experience and qualifications for the position, as well as the initiatives she sought to bring to the ASSU. The GSC delayed the vote on Mahmoud’s confirmation to next week’s meeting.
Assistant commissioner for graduate elections Jonathan Bakke, who is a graduate student in chemical engineering, delivered an elections update at the end of the GSC’s meeting. Of the student groups requesting Special Fees, only six are joint groups serving both the undergraduate and graduate communities. Club Sports was the only joint group required to petition for a Special Fees increase.