Budget hearings Thursday
Most of the CU Finance Board can rest a little easier after their meeting Tuesday night; the Board passed the second reading of the budget for the UMC, the last cost center to be approved.
The 10 smaller cost centers such as the Women’s Resource Center and the Environmental Center had their second readings last Tuesday evening. The other two “Big 3” cost centers, Wardenburg Health Center and the Rec Center, both had their second readings approved on Feb. 12. The UMC was held up because of a controversy over the funding of the CU Gold program.
Gold program staff members said they help students build their leaderships skills by providing training and leadership opportunities for students on campus.
“If there is a lack of student leaders, this program helps create them,” said Carlos Garcia, director of the UMC.
UMC and CU Gold staff members asked for an increase of $33,000 to fund an additional staff position along with another $14,000 for additional programming and operating expenses. The second reading was originally put off for two weeks in order for CU Gold to make its case before the UCSU Legislative Council before the Finance Board made their final decision. Garcia said a number of Council members expressed their approval of CU Gold at the meeting.
“13 out of 18 members (of the Legislative Council) believe that this is a worthwhile program to at least look at,” Garcia said.
In the end, the Board voted to fund CU Gold, but not the increase they asked for. The only increase the UMC received was a 3.5 percent increase for operating expenses funded by the UMC’s fund balance.
Several Board members said they supported CU Gold, but that couldn’t justify increasing student fees to fund the increase.
“They have lots of support, but we’re just not ready to add another $47,000 dollars from student fee dollars,” Daniel Ramos, a senior political science major, who sits on the Board.
Megan Bell, who sits on the advisory board for CU Gold, said she believes CU Gold can do a great deal of good on campus.
“I’m very disappointed,” Bell said. “I feel they’re missing an opportunity to serve a lot of students.”
Now that all of the cost centers have passed their second readings, the budgets will be presented to the Legislative Council for final approval this Thursday. While that means most of the Board can take a breath, not everyone is ready to relax.
Cate Greguras, a senior accounting major and chairwoman of the Finance Board, will be presenting the budgets to Legislative Council on Thursday.
“It’s over for the members of my Board, but it’s not over for me,” Greguras said.
Contact Campus Press Staff Writer Rob Ryan at rryan@colorado.edu.
