UA discusses by-law changes, funding requests

Lacking a majority of its members, the UA could only make informal recommendations at the meeting. A funding request, possible changes to the governing body's bylaws and a plan to set goals for the next year were among the topics of discussion at the Undergraduate Assembly's weekly meeting Sunday night. But with just 16 of its 33 members present for the meeting -- one short of a quorum -- the UA was unable to vote or conduct any other official business. Those who did attend the meeting, held on the last day of the Thanksgiving break, unanimously recommended in an unofficial poll that the UA's executive board use its "emergency requests" authority to provide $900 in funding for events related to this week's celebration of Kwanzaa. UA Treasurer Michael Bassik, a College junior, said last night that the executive board passed the $900 budget request for Kwanzaa -- an annual celebration of African-American unity -- and received no objections from members who did not attend Sunday's meeting. Also at Sunday's meeting, Bassik proposed several changes to the by-laws governing the UA's distribution of money in its discretionary fund. One possible change would require any group planning a "campus-wide social activity" and desiring UA funding to first request funding from the Social Planning and Events Committee, which would then decide whether or not to allow the request of additional funds from the UA. Currently, groups planning social events can approach SPEC and the UA separately for funding. The proposed by-law would allow the two bodies to coordinate their funding of social activities and give greater overall funding authority to SPEC, which is supposed to have control over campus-wide social events under the structure of student government. Bassik noted that Student Activities Council member groups are required to approach SPEC for the funding of their social events anyway, so the new by-law would mostly reinforce existing rules. Another proposed change would prevent the UA from retroactively funding any event, an issue which came up earlier this semester when the body voted to provide $2,700 in funding for Greek Week programs after they had taken place. The new by-law would also specifically prevent the UA from funding any charitable events, allowing the body to provide only advertising costs for certain events that donate their proceeds to charity. Earlier this semester, the UA decided to fund the advertising costs of a charitable student-group performance scheduled for this weekend at Irvine Auditorium. At the time, several members of the UA questioned whether the body is permitted to use its funds for charitable purposes. In its other major business on Sunday night, the UA discussed "Project 2000 Revisited," a plan, suggested by Bassik, to have students and UA committees come up with specific goals to be achieved by the end of next year. The program will be a follow-up to "Project 2000," a 49-page report compiled by the 1994-95 Undergraduate Assembly of goals for the University to complete by the year 2000. Many of the then-UA's proposals have materialized, including making the PennCard into a debit card and having nutritional information posted in every dining hall. Bassik wants to include both the unfinished original proposals and new ideas in next year's report, which he said the UA will complete by February. "I'm hoping that it will become an annual project," he said, noting that right now, "there is no continuity between UAs" from year to year. Also at Sunday's meeting, UA Facilities Committee Chairperson Jonathan Glick, a Wharton junior, said the UA would hold a petition drive this week to demonstrate support for the UA's plan to construct outdoor basketball courts announced earlier this month. Chairperson Michael Silver, a College senior, said the collection of a large number of signatures would demonstrate to administrators that there is widespread student interest in the project. "We need at least 1,000 [signatures] to make it legitimate," he said, adding that "1,500 would show a strong, strong message." Silver noted that a petition drive led by the UA two years ago for improved fitness facilities on campus was followed by the creation of the Katz Fitness Center in Gimbel Gymnasium.