The AS legislature pursues continuous allocation of funds for clubs and other campus organizations. “We try to allocate in such a way that it benefits all students,” said Armen Kiramijyan, the AS president.
The AS legislature has the task of allocating funds to clubs, sports teams, theater, miscellaneous campus organizations and on-campus projects.
“Every year we vote on a new budget…we look at what’s most important,” said Erik Yasayan, AS’s vice president of finance. How much an organization is to receive from the AS budget is determined by its priority to the college. The same method applies for financial requisitions. “We’ve worked out the budget in a way where it benefits everybody…and we plan to have it that way,” said Yasayan.
Allocating funds takes place throughout the year. Every Tuesday morning in the student center the AS legislature meets, then votes to approve annual funding for certain programs. “We don’t give money for the sake of giving money,” said Salvina Turadshikyan, an AS senator of finance.
All funds are considered for allocation during the finance meetings. The finance meetings are chaired by Yasayan and include the senators of finance. “There are six hours of meetings a week…three meetings a week …that’s not counting the work we do at home,” said Turadshikyan.
If some members of the AS legislature appose any allocation or requisition for any reason, whether it be due to skepticism or disapproval, the fund allocation under discussion can be at risk of being cancelled. “You (as a legislative member) are not obligated to give anyone anything,” said Alen Andriassian, the AS adviser.
The AS legislative body divides how much each sports team, club, or miscellaneous campus organization will have for the school year. “The budget process is done in the spring semester … it takes a lot of time to allocate,” said Andriassian.
Every organization that requests an account for funding sends their request to the AS legislative body. Every account in the AS budget is discussed in the legislature before it is funded.
The finance process varies depending on the amount of money at stake. If an on-campus organization such as a club needs less than a $100 then the organization in need must request funds from the VP of finance three days prior to when the money is needed. The VP of finance will then decide to approve or deny the request. If the financial request is approved the AS advisor’s signature will be required.
If the requisition for funds is $100.01 dollars or more the organization in need must request that the VP of administration put the financial request on the agenda. The legislature will then discuss and vote on the request and may allocate funds for the requisition.
“You would expect some kind of increase [in student funding],” said Andriassian. The student fee was $10 until the fall of 2003. Due to the past and recent budget cuts the price was raised to $15. The $5 increase serves to maintain all school programs that are at risk of being cut such as classes and library hours.
In the past the AS budget has been used to create the student center on campus, vending machines, and memorials.
Students are encouraged to visit the student center whether it be to inquire about the AS budget or state an issue regarding the allocation of funds, “This [budget] is all open information…this is all for the students…we are not a private company,” said Yesayan. Yesayan can be contacted by phone (818) 240-1000, ext. 5782 or by email at [email protected].