Despite warnings of a deteriorating financial situation, ASUC senators continued substantial spending at their meeting Wednesday, potentially leading to the further depletion of the senate's financial reserve.

The ASUC Senate has $2,131-or 9 percent-left this year out of the fund it uses to allocate money to student groups, after it spent about two-thirds of the fund at its last two meetings.

ASUC Finance Officer Alan Ni warned the senate of the diminishing contingency fund at the senate's meeting Wednesday. He added that he will help write a bill before next week's meeting that would replenish the contingency fund by dipping into the senate's reserve carry-forward fund, which was already tapped last year.

He added the senate in recent years has not come as close as it is now to depleting the reserve, but he did not offer financial specifics on the carry-foward fund, which he said would be available Monday.

"Compared to last year, I think this senate is doing good," he said. "But compared to the years before they're doing terrible."

The senate approved 30 bills and spent $7,537 of this year's $23,807 contingency fund at its Oct. 21 meeting. This was the first full meeting at which the senate could conduct official business since Sept. 23 due to delays in confirming a finance officer.

But despite Ni's report, the senate approved $8,456 of funding at Wednesday's meeting, including $1,500 each to the Student of Color Conference and the Pakistani Student Association.

Last year's senate transferred a total of $86,000 from the carry-forward fund to the contingency fund throughout the year, according to Ni.

Ni said more student groups applied for funding the past two years as compared to previous years, depleting the contingency fund faster.

"So it's not necessarily the fault of the senate­-it's just the situation," he said. "But then it's also the responsibility of the senate to respond to the changing contexts. I think they just need to be a lot more strict with their guidelines."

Some senators defended the spending and said that the finance committee, which approves funding allocations before they are voted on by the senate, reviews funding requests carefully.

"The finance committee is doing what they can do to try to be very, very fiscally responsible and at the same time still providing to student groups," said Finance Committee Chair and independent Senator Huda Adem. "We're not giving money out to people who don't need it. We're giving money out to those who wouldn't be able to put on events or provide to the campus community without that money."

But Cooperative Movement Senator Christina Oatfield, who served in the senate last year, said this year's senate funds many "lavish, expensive events" because event proceeds go to charity.

"These events cost almost as much to put on as they end up donating to charity," she said. "And I feel like we need to scrutinize those types of events a little bit more."

While some senators are in favor of stronger criteria to determine student group funding-such as a group's involvement in the campus community and how rigorously it pursues funds elsewhere-others said guidelines may be unfair for some groups.

Still, Student Action Senator NhuNhu Nguyen said efforts to ensure the senate's financial well-being should not be seen as opposition to student groups.

"We're not going to be able to serve students next semester at all if we don't do something about it," she said.

Tags: ASUC FINANCES