Associated Students Finance Board doled out $33,773.62 among 13 student groups at last night’s relatively brief two-hour meeting.
During the evening’s meeting, the board allotted full funding to the UCSB Surf Team, Santa Barbara Hillel and Engineers Without Borders, among others. Additionally, members tackled two allocations which typically draw controversy – the All Sorority Volleyball Tournament and Pi Kappa Alpha (PIKE) Fight Night. Alpha Tau Omega returned once again to the board to request funding for ASVT, which is slated for April 25. The organization sought $23,054 from Finance Board for the popular East Beach event. Some board members said the group’s transportation request for private busing was simply too costly, while others argued that it was essential to the event’s existence. “In defense of the busing, that’s the whole safety issue we’ve been discussing,” board member Kelsey Fisher said. “Without busing, how is this event going to go on” Ultimately, ATO received $10,775 – including busing fees – from Finance Board’s Spring Quarter budget. The meeting also saw PIKE return to request financial support for its 18th annual Fight Night – a charity boxing event featuring amateur fighters. However, the board has previously been hesitant to grant the group funds as the fraternity has previously defaulted on a matter of A.S. policy.
According to A.S. Finance Board Policies and Procedures, 100 percent of funds dispersed for charity events must be donated to a philanthropic organization, and PIKE came up $6,000 short last year.