ASMSU increases funds for student defenders, Welcome Week activities
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A possible Welcome Week fireworks or laser show could be a part of next year’s ASMSU budget, which included a sizable increased appropriation to student defenders.
The budget passed by consent Thursday by ASMSU’s Student Assembly.
ASMSU is MSU’s undergraduate student government.
The assembly voted Thursday to allocate up to $10,000 from special events to fund Welcome Week activities. Special events
is appropriated money completely from rollover funding,
assembly Chairperson Michael Webber said.
The show likely would be Sept. 1 at Munn Field or Demonstration Field and would be free to students and community members, Director of Event Planning Morgan Green said.
“It’s a good way to kick off the year and a good way to build relationships with the community and the university as well,” assembly Vice Chairperson for External Affairs Kyle Dysarz said.
ASMSU’s revenue comes from a $16.75 refundable tax charged to all undergraduate students each semester. Its projected revenue from the 2008-09 academic year is more than $1.4 million.
“(ASMSU is) going to have a good amount of working room to sponsor activities for students and continue to provide services to students,” Webber said. “The legal services, student defenders and blue books are things that we hope to continue to provide in the future because those are really important for students.”
Student defenders received almost $15,000, which is about $6,000 more than the 2008-09 school year, in an effort to make people more aware of their function, Webber said.
“I think the idea was to increase the money so we could advertise more so they would get more people to represent because I think that’s something we struggle with — making sure that students know the services we provide,” he said.
“We did get a large number of cases this year and we’re hoping to increase that more.”
Student defenders are comprised of eight to 10 undergraduate students who advise students with university disputes such as academic dishonesty or appealing judicial decisions. They are trained to guide students through the university hearing process.
The student defender’s director also received more funding because the director will work year-round, rather than only in the fall and spring because of some demand from students, Webber said.
More than $370,000 is appropriated to legal services, which can represent students free of charge in legal matters such as a minor in possession, noise violations and landlord/tenant issues. The legal services staff is comprised of two attorneys from the law firm of Jeffries & Newton.
The funding board will receive more than $115,000, which is about $15,000 less than last year. Most of funding board’s money is allocated to registered student organizations.
ASMSU will determine by May 31 how much leftover funds it has from the 2008-09 school year.
“We don’t want to spend money just to spend it,” Webber said. “We want to spend it efficiently and we give it back to students through programming board and funding board.”
Commentary
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Check the facts.
(04/20/09 12:36am)Report
It’s called “Fall Welcome”. Again, check your facts Snews.
student
(04/20/09 2:34am)Report
Is ASMSU blind? Do they see that students can’t pay? Do they see that poor students, combined with bad economy, results in difficulty to pay tuition?
Why they don’t invest the money in going towards scholarships through different contests or whatever. But, help students pay tuition instead of going towards entertainment and wasteful spending.
Sparty x 2
(04/20/09 8:26am)Report
In response to ‘student’:
Your complaining does not hold water and show lack of knowledge of what ASMSU is all about.
1. If the student can’t afford or doesn’t wish to pay this tax, it is refundable.
2. Scholarships only help a very select few at the expense of everyone, and who’s going to set the criteria so everyone has an opportunity??
3. While not a big advocate of ASMSU when I was a student, they do serve a valuble service by adding opportunity to all students to have a more rounded college / community experience. Key point is ‘opportunity to all’.
4. The legal services they offer to the stupid and immature is available to make sure their rights are known and they get a fair shake in the system. You find this is society as well – called Public Defenders. This is a step down from that.
So, go do your homework and put some thought into what you’re saying before spouting off. After all, you are suppose to be a college student now, with at least a certain amount of maturity.
FYI
(04/20/09 9:12am)Report
1) ASMSU has 3 not 2 attorneys available for MSU students.
2) ASMSU actually does allocate over $30,000 every year to the RESPECT Scholarship, an endowed scholarship that was created by ASMSU for MSU students with financial need in response to tuition hikes a few years ago.
Voice!
(04/20/09 1:00pm)Report
Cmon! Don’t you see? Students don’t care about welcome week programs, legal services for dumb people, or free bluebooks. We want a government that actually stands up to the University Administration and fights for our interests: namely lower tuition, less wasteful spending, strict accountability… Instead all we hear from ASMSU is internal squabbling and how much chairpeople are getting paid over the summer. You wonder why you only get 8% of the student body to vote. Seriously, make the admin. listen to us. That’s what you’re for!
RE Voice
(04/20/09 2:47pm)Report
You’ll find if you get in these situations later in life, that in order to have influence over sensitive decisions, oftentimes its crucially important to keep the discussions on important issues private, otherwise no one will talk with you.
ASMSU is involved in discussions with top university administrators, including holding 2 seats on the Board of Trustees. Trust me, they’re speaking on behalf of students, usually they are the only ones in the room doing so. The reason they’re able to be there is because they’re able to be discrete AND stand up for students.
Sadly, that makes it harder for Students to understand all of the benefits and hard work ASMSU does on behalf of the student body.
Representation...
(04/20/09 4:20pm)Report
“What economic recession?”, says ASMSU spokesman.
Voice
(04/20/09 4:28pm)Report
Yes, I definitely agree ASMSU shouldn’t be flamboyant and that they need to earn a certain amount of respect in order to be taken seriously. But it also does not serve anyone if they are secretive. Who knows if they really are standing up for students, as you say. No doubt that they would have more respect and standing in discussions if they had 36,000 actively informed students behind them. My main point is that ASMSU has to avoid being seen as a high school student council that’s sole purpose is to plan dances and homecoming. Why not use some of that money to actually tell the taxpaying students what discussions you are having and what progress has been made?
RE Voice
(04/20/09 4:45pm)Report
Agreed that more outreach and better communication needs to be there. But it takes dedicated students to make ASMSU work. Perhaps you would like to get involved – ASMSU has great potential, it needs more dedicated students to help it fully achieve it.
If you’re reading this, that means you.
Laser Show?
(04/21/09 10:36am)Report
ASMSU should play a bunch of Pink Floyd to coincide with rhe laser light show. Now that would bring in the hippie crowd on Welcome Week. Just a 420 observation…
If you're complaining, you're not reading
(04/21/09 6:15pm)Report
OK, all you whiners obviously didn’t read this article. The funding is refundable for students, so stop complaining about that.
Also, it’s great to see funding for a program designed to help defend students that may not be able to afford it, or would really just need the extra help in a city so focused on LEECHING as much as it can from its residents especially the students.