ASHLAND, Ore. – On Tuesday, Feb. 18, two meetings took place in room 313 of the Stevenson Union: the public hearing on proposed budget cuts, led by the Student Fee Budget Committee and the weekly Associated Students of Southern Oregon University meeting.
During the SFBC meeting, programs funded through student fees were given five minutes to speak before the committee and present their cases as to why they needed more funding. The Siskiyou and the National Student Exchange and Study Abroad program, both budgeted $0, defended their funding. William Long presented on behalf of The Outdoor Program and Climbing Wall, which were cut a combined total of 54%. All Resource Center directors presented, defending the critical needs their programs supply. The Cheerleading and Dance program, cut 25%, the Interclub Council, cut 10%, and EP!C Events presented.
Towards the end of the meeting, the committee opened it up to the floor for others to speak for a few minutes. When there were a few minutes left in the session, the different programs and departments were asked to share any announcements and upcoming events they had.
Immediately following the SFBC meeting was the weekly ASSOU meeting. There, the different branches of student government discussed the state funding model and the fact that this year has been a tough year for student funding. Another important topic during this meeting was the fact that elections are coming up. So, the committee is looking for new members.
One announcement made at this meeting was that Banned the Box has now been removed from all public universities, including Southern Oregon University. If an individual has been incarcerated and wants to attend school, they no longer have to check a box that asks if they recently have been to jail.
After notes about bylaw changes and an open forum of different announcements, the meeting was adjourned.