Duke Student Government approved the Student Organization Finance Committee’s annual budget at its meeting Wednesday, notably cutting $8,180 from The Chanticleer’s budget.
President Pete Schork, a senior, proposed allocating The Chanticleer’s remaining budget request only after completing a comprehensive investigation. Under DSG leadership, the investigation will involve gauging student demand for the yearbook, gathering opinions about distribution and analyzing costs of production. If The Chanticleer allows DSG to audit it, the group will receive the additional $8,180 funding for the 2012-2013 year.
“This has gotten lost in transition at the end of each year that I’ve been here,” Schork said. “[The statute] clearly dictates the path of action that must be taken in order to have a well-reasoned and deliberate assessment of what students want and what is the best thing for The Chanticleer going forward.”
The Senate approved the statute and then amended the annual budget to grant the Chanticleer $100,000 instead of $108,180.
The Chanticleer is distributed during the Fall of each year to students on campus and mailed to the most recent graduating class. The staff was able to distribute all books last Fall, but distribution is not proxy for demand, Schork said.
“The magnitude of their budget is alarming, and after thorough investigation next year, we want to figure out if that’s justified or not,” he added.
Although SOFC has already allocated the annual budget, The Chanticleer may receive additional funding in the Fall after DSG’s audit, regardless of the findings, Schork said. The Chanticleer would not use the bulk of funds for production until May 2013, giving them the 2012-2013 academic year for DSG’s review. The group’s funding will be based entirely on completion of the investigation.
“This is providing incentive for us to work together next year,” he added.
In other business:
DSG also approved $5,000 from its surplus account for funding this year’s Senior Sendoff, which replaced Beer Trucks.
Executive Vice President-elect Patrick Oathout, a sophomore, said he opposed this allocation. “We were promised by [former President, Mike Lefevre, Trinity ’11] last year that we wouldn’t fund this again,” Oathout said. “I’m not going to vote for anything that isn’t sustainable and doesn’t have a solution for next year.”
The Senate approved the funding by a majority vote.
DSG also passed the Approval and Removal Committee bylaw as it will apply to the house model. With this new bylaw, selective living groups on probation for one year can clear this probation if they end up in the top 10 percent of houses on the Residential Group Assessment Process evaluation rubric. This will encourage positive behavior among SLGs because otherwise probation for two consecutive years can lead to the group’s dissolution, said senior Esosa Osa, vice president for residential life and dining.
The Senate also added to the DSG Senate House Rules, creating education and mentorship programs for new senators. At the beginning of each year, the executive vice president will run a mock Senate meeting to educate senators on Robert’s Rules of Order and DSG budgetary rules. New members will also participate in a mentoring program with a returning senator to help transition into DSG.
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