On Friday, Feb. 2, the Associated Student Government held a meeting to discuss their budget for the semester, and appointed Hayden McBride the new vice president of operations and finance.
The ASG has previously, and will continue to use their budget for student services and social enrichment activities such as the upcoming City College Olympics and the Women Leaders Panel. Both the quality and quantity of these upcoming events, among others, heavily relies on the budget the ASG is able to work with going forward.
At the beginning of the 2023 fall semester, the Student Senate had $74,653.94 to use for their activities, and other expenses. This balance now sits at $24,882.52 for the 2024 spring semester.
“I’m fully confident that, as a board, we’re able to budget ourselves and limit ourselves,” Libby Wilmer, the president of ASG, said. “We had a lot of rollover expenses from last spring that, unfortunately, didn’t get charged to us until the fall.”
Discussing this topic further, the ASG took time to suggest reducing individual stipends by 50% and hosting several fundraising events throughout the semester. The goal set forth by the board is to limit themselves to $20,000 for the entire spring semester, leaving the remaining $4,882.52 to be used as a financial cushion in the beginning of the 2024 fall semester.
Friday’s meeting additionally included an election held between two candidates, Hayden McBride and Annika Stott, to determine the new vice president of operations and finance. Five questions were asked to both candidates, and after the combined interview, the board cast their votes. In a close voting run of 7-6, McBride was appointed to the position, and sat with the board for the remainder of the meeting.
The vice president of operations and finance position primarily focuses on the budget and expenditure of ASG’s funds. With his new position on the board, McBride plans to make ASG more socially and actively intertwined with the student population at City College.
“I believe that there should be more money allocated to informing students on how to deal with college problems. For instance, we could adapt the Isla Vista Tenant Unit, which teaches the residents of Isla Vista their rights as Tenants,” McBride stated in his application letter.
The new vice president of operations and finance had proposed several more ideas for ASG in his application and in-person interview.
“I’m super confident in my board’s decision, and I’m hoping Hayden can take a strong lead in really divvying up our budget,” Wilmer said while discussing McBride’s new position.
Other than the board’s finances and their new member, many topics were discussed, two of which were presented by public speakers.
Vanessa Pelton, director of enrollment and retention services, addressed the upcoming Promise Rally, where students from local high schools will come to campus to receive guidance, easing the process of registration.
English professor Margaret Prothero also presented the online Career and Academic Pathways System (CAPS). This will be included on the City College website, to make the process of choosing a major easier for incoming students.
In other news, Club Day has been rescheduled to Feb. 14 due to rain predictions. The ASG is also preparing a Valentine’s Day event to be held on the same day; currently, the board is planning on handing out roses to students, and curating a Valentine-themed passport for Club Day.
The board’s next meeting will be held at 9 a.m. Friday, Feb 9.
