If passed, bill would cut $10,000 in funding of state-wide student organization
The University of Colorado Student Union will vote Thursday night on whether or not to pass a bill which, if passed, would cut $10,000 of funding for the Associated Students of Colorado.
ASC is a student-based organization composed of students from 15 higher education institutions across Colorado. ASC members work together to advocate higher education issues, particularly school funding in the state legislature. ASC claims to “advocate for accessible, affordable, high quality higher education.”
Recently, the ASC voted to sign a contract with the Center for Public Interest Research. The contract states that the ASC will pay the Center for Public Interest Research to hire, provide benefits for and train the executive director of the ASC. The leader of the ASC would be chosen by the Center for Public Interest Research and not by the students.
“Last May, UCSU earmarked $10,000 in its budget that would go to [the ASC.] What we’re proposing in this bill is that we rescind that money,” said Hadley Brown, Tri-executive and co-author of the ASC Funding Bill. “When we earmarked the $10,000, we didn’t earmark to pay another organization to do our work,” Brown said.
Jesse Jensen, the director of legislative affairs for UCSU and co-author of the ASC Funding Bill, is also against the contract.
“Through this contract, students lose their voice,” Jensen said. “[The ASC is] a very good opportunity for an organization to be out there and give students a voice. By going through another organization, students aren’t really having that voice.”
Despite objecting to the contract with the Center for Public Interest Research, the CU Boulder delegates plan on staying with the ASC.
“It’s not in the best interest of ASC to enter into this contract. However, because it’s so important to have this organization, we’d still like to be involved,” Brown said.
UCSU will vote on whether or not to pass the bill Thursday at their weekly meeting.
“Everything needs to be run by students, and until that happens, it’s going to be hard for us to want to put money into [the ASC],” Brown said.
Contact Campus Press Staff Writer Julie Ryan at julie.ryan@colorado.edu.
