The undergraduate senate approved funding for an upcoming sustainability event and scholarship during its weekly meeting on Wednesday evening.
Students for Sustainability, a program of the Associated Students of the University of Arizona, gave a presentation and requested $2,000 during the previous senate meeting to provide its members with tents, tables and chairs at its upcoming Earth Day event.
“I do believe that we should approve the full amount because we are approaching our end of the year and we have plenty of our budget left,” said Sen. Jake Barman. “I think it’s a great event that hits the majority of students, especially being on the [UA] Mall.”
The ASUA Senate also approved funding for an Academic Enrichment Scholarship that totaled $3,000.
ASUA Academic Affairs Director Anthony Carli was unable to attend the meeting, but he wrote a letter that was read to senate members by ASUA President Katy Murray.
“We are not strangers to the fact that students face incredible economic strain when attending our university,” Carli said in the letter. “As a student government, we have a responsibility to ease this burden as a responsible, practical and tangible way.”
In prior years, the scholarship has provided three students with $1,000 scholarships in the form of a UofA Bookstore gift card. This year, the scholarship will be given out in the form of a check, to allow recipients to spend the money wherever they need to.
“Very simply, we have an opportunity to take care of the best and brightest Wildcats on campus,” Carli said. “This is an obligation that we must uphold.”
Part of the scholarship application will ask students how they plan to spend their money.
“Not only is it something that I think would mean a lot from ASUA — giving money to students to help them out financially — but I also I think that it’s something that is very feasible considering the budget at this point and the availability of funds,” Murray said.
Sen. Joel Torres expressed his support for the scholarship, as well as suggested some improvements, such as going through Scholarship Universe and having students attach their FAFSA to the scholarship to evaluate their Expected Family Contribution.
“There’s so many more students on this campus that have financial need than other students,” Torres said. “I think that maybe that’s one thing that should be looked into in the future.”
Senate members also approved the Collegiate Housing and Infrastructure Act Resolution and the ASUA Appropriations Board Consent Agenda.
During their reports, several senators expressed gratitude for their recent election, including Sen. Morgan Abraham, Sen. Valerie Hanna and Sen. Danielle Novelly.
“Obviously I was lucky enough to have been elected to student body president elect right now, so I’m incredibly excited about that,” Abraham said.
Aside from shadowing Murray for the past two days, Abraham said he will be presenting bylaw changes for the cabinet on Wednesday.
