February 25, 1997
Senate overturns decision on Nosotras budget
After missing several important Smith Senate Finance Committee (SFC) deadlines for submitting their budget, Nosotras’ allocation of funds was reduced to zero by the Senate. Nosotras then met with the SFC chair and submitted a budget and letter which got them their funding back with the 55 percent penalty they had originally garnered, plus an additional $609 grant. Afterwards, however, Director of Institutional Diversity Carmen Santana-Melgoza and First-Year Class Dean Tom Riddell supported Nosotras in asking for their original allotment, making the case that diversity education on campus was important. The Senate acquiesced, causing other student organizations who had received budget penalties to question the Senate’s consistency on budgets. Finally, the Senate reinstated the 55 percent penalty on February 25th, contingent on a letter from President Simmons saying she would make up the difference.
The full Sophian article on the Senate decision can be found here (1, 2).
[Last updated on October 18, 2018]