BUS, USS clash over proposal to remove permanent seats

Black United Students kept the battle alive against the proposed permanent removal of its seat in the Allocation Committee Friday during the committee’s ad hoc process.

Last week, Sean Groves, undergraduate student senator for business and finance, proposed eliminating the three permanent seats on the Allocation Committee currently held by BUS, the All Campus Programming Board and the Inter-Greek Programming Board.

In addition, only one member of a student organization’s executive board would be allowed to serve on the Allocation Committee.

Carla Smith, Allocation Committee member representing BUS, said the group’s opposition to its seat removal comes down to three main issues: the group’s history, its number of members and equal representation of minority students.

“I don’t think when you are trying to create a diverse committee it’s a good idea to shrink the committee rather than expand,” she said.

Committee member Justin Peeples said the committee still needs to explore the history of the permanent seats before coming to conclusions.

“If you don’t know why these positions are here, you don’t know the effects of removing them,” he said.

Judy Ripple, Center for Student Involvement business manager who oversees the meetings, said BUS was granted a permanent seat on the Allocations Committee beginning in the fall of 1999.

Amy Groya, governmental affairs senator, said people should keep in mind the seat removal involves three organizations, not just BUS.

“Drawing lines between black and white is not diverse,” she said, noting that there are many ethnicities represented at Kent State.

In other business, Groves said any changes made by the Allocations Committee regarding ACPB will be part of an ongoing transition if the proposed reorganization of ACPB in the new Undergraduate Student Government occurs.

He said the proposed ACPB funding changes – ACPB budget approval by a USS majority vote and prohibiting ACPB from allocating programming funds – would take effect next year.

However, if the proposed Undergraduate Student Government passes, the new programming board would not take effect until the 2008-2009 academic year.

Lastly, the committee reopened the discussion of clothing purchases made through the Allocations Committee. The committee wants to tighten its policy so individual students cannot keep any clothing or costumes purchased for events.

The committee discussed requiring student organizations to make an itemized list of clothing purchases before they request allocated money.

The committee also allocated $90 in gas money to the Kent State Feminist Union for its trip to the Reproductive Rights Conference at Hampshire College in Amherst, Mass.

The remaining Allocations Committee budget is $14,878, and the committee will hear another funding request next Friday.

Contact student politics reporter Jackie Valley at [email protected].