AS finance committee reviews funding applications

By Rory Sa

The Associated Students Finance committee took the first steps towards developing a budget for club and organization funding Thursday.

The committee met with six groups during the first half of Thursday night’s meeting. Some groups, such as the Phi Kappa Alpha fraternity and University Student Pride, were requesting funds to aid with events.

Each club can ask for a total of $1,500 for events during Fall semester. They can get an additional $1,000 during Spring semester, for a total of $2,500 in AS funds per academic year.

Others requested funds to expand and improve upon their programs, such as Central Valley Cultural Heritage Institute.

Collegian editor-in-chief Josh Scroggin spoke before the committee, warning that The Collegian was in danger of shutting down if it did not receive the full amount of funding that AS was required to provide.

The current debate revolves around the existence of a student referendum that established a fixed $1.50 per student per semester. Scroggin said the paper’s position of business manager was in danger due to budget concerns.

He also announced that the Collegian will lose its current location in Keats 100, near the fountain by the bookstore. The Keats building will be dedicated solely to the university’s development office.

The development office is the home of the Fresno State’s new Comprehensive Campaign, a multi-year fundraising effort going towards academic programs, as well as other unspecified programs.

Discussions regarding The Collegian’s new location are ongoing.

The second half of the meeting focused on reviewing applications, with an overall focus on determining how the funding benefits students, said Finance vice president Michelle Jurkovich.

Club applications for funding can be found online at http://www.csufresno.edu/studentgovt/clubs&orgs/