Senate adjusts Tier 1 percentages, approves 2007-2008 budget
Thunderadio to become Tier 1 organization in coming yearsAfter hours of debate, the student senate approved Tier I percentage changes and Thunderadio’s probationary status as a Tier I entity.
Tier I organizations, or the “Big Seven,” are athletics, Campus Attractions, the Board of Student Publications, Fine Arts, Campus Recreation and Intramurals, student government and the Memorial Union.
These organizations receive a fixed percentage of the student activity fee each year, with the remaining money used to fund Tier II organizations.
The student-run radio station Thuderradio, which has existed in its current format for only three years, has been operating on very minimal budgets at the Tier II level.
None of its nine officers are compensated for their work at the station, and the outdated equipment with which Thunderadio operates can’t be replaced because of a lack of funding, General Manager Jim Otis said.
“As I like to say, we’re a Tier I organization trapped in a Tier II situation,” Otis said. “We were put in Tier II as a preliminary period as we got started.”
As the station grew and enhanced its presence on campus and in the community, the need for officer compensation and new equipment became evident.
Otis and other Thunderadio officers significantly increased lobbying efforts to gather support of the radio station becoming a Tier I entity. However, at Sunday’s budget meeting that support seemed to dwindle.
Chris Suriano, associate director of operations for the Memorial Union, requested $50,000 from the student senate to cover operating and custodial support costs incurred by the additional 65,000 square feet of space.
The senate could also reallocate funds freed up by the merger of the Wellness Center and Campus Recreation and Intramurals.
In all, the senate presented five different proposals to re-adjust the Tier I percentages to help the union, Thunderadio and athletics, which requested an additional 1 percent of the student activity fee for additional staff costs for intramural employees.
All but one of the proposals had Thunderadio receiving a percentage of the fee, which proved to be a hot topic at the meeting.
“If we put the percentage right in here, essentially we create Thunderadio as a Tier I organization right now,” said Nick Rogers, off-campus senator. “I absolutely think that Thunderadio can be an intregal part of the Tier I organization, however, we have a couple of months before the end of the year to find other sources of funding.”
Rogers said money would be available somewhere for Thunderadio, but that it wouldn’t be fair to other long-standing organizations to allow Thunderadio, which has no plans in place, to receive funding at the Tier I level.
Other senators felt the organization’s hard work deserves to be recognized by receiving immediate funding.
“There is a plan in place for forming an advisory committee already,” said Brian Dahl, off-campus senator. “They are an organization right now that is in dire need of funding as a Tier I entity just for them to survive.”
Rogers recognized Thunderadio’s work and said he wasn’t advocating the organization receive no funding. He said that setting up a Tier I organization is a complex process and many organizations have been around for more than 100 years, so the senate “shouldn’t jump into this head-first.”
Gregory Heller, arts, humanities and social sciences senator, serves as the news director of Thunderadio.
He opposed funding the radio station at $0, and strongly urged the senate to consider funding them as a Tier I organization on probation.
Debate also brought up the larger-than-usual reserve fund and whether a new senate, which will take over April WHAT, would implement moving Thunderadio to Tier I status.
Three and a half hours after the meeting started, the senate approved the new Tier I percentages for the 2007-2008 academic year as follows:
Athletics increased from 35.6 percent to 36.37 percent.
Fine Arts increased from 4.56 percent to 4.93 percent.
Memorial Union increased from 31.22 percent to 32.60 percent.
Campus Attractions remained at 6.57 percent.
BOSP also remained at 3.16 percent.
Campus Recreation decreased from 4.27 percent to 2 percent.
Student government decreased from 4.47 percent to 4.25 percent.
Tier II decreased from 10.15 percent to 10.12 percent.
Thunderadio was funded at 0 percent, but was allocated $31,020 from excess Tier II funding. Thunderadio will be considered a probationary Tier I organization, so guidelines will be drafted and submitted to the senate Sunday night, said Adam Montgomery, executive commissioner of finance.
“We’re very happy with ($31,000),” Otis said. “We definitely can work with that and do what we want to do with it.”
Otis said the money will be used to update or purchase new equipment, as well as stipends for the officers for their work at Thunderadio.
“Our officers have been … working really, really hard to get the station running and to get all the work done, and really haven’t had anything in it for them,” Otis said.
With the new development for consistent funding, Otis is optimistic about Thunderadio’s future.
“I don’t think anybody will disagree with the fact that we’ve made incredible strides in the last three years as a station,” Otis said. “We don’t want to be just that little amateur station that is kind of fun to listen to once in a while. We want to be a respected station in this market, and I think that with the quality of people that we’ve had come through the organization in the last few years… that is definitely something that can be attained.”
Other approvals:
-SP-12-07 The student senate approved $1,000 for the President’s Student Leadership Conference April 14. The event will run from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. and students will be fed breakfast and lunch. Presenters are members of S.A.L.A.D., a group FILL IN. The presenters capped registration at 120 students to maximize effectiveness.
- The Lincoln Speech and Debate team qualified members for two separate tournaments that were unforeseen during budgeting time because certain qualifications needed to be met before anyone could attend the tournaments. The senate debated on the amount because the coach, who needs to attend the tournament in order for the student to compete, is a graduate student. Traditionally, the senate doesn’t fund coaches. The organization requested $2,007 but the senate approved funding at $1,576.
- SP-13-07 The International Student Association requested $400 to help with the organization of an indoor soccer tournament. The request was approved.
- SB-15-07 The student senate approved the addition of a constitutional amendment stipulating that editors of The Spectrum, and presidents of the Board of Campus Attractions and the Board of Student Publication are not allowed to hold a position in student government. The amendment will appear on the ballot April 3-4.