The Student Association Finance Committee voted to allocate $1,434 to the College Parents’ Group for Fiscal Year 2005. The committee also voted to deny SA senators polo shirts.

The College Parents’ Group originally had requested $5,533 from the SA.

Most of the cuts came from a reduction in the amount of funding the committee believed the organization should use for speakers.

“As a student group, we’d like to see you utilize the resources on campus,” SA Treasurer Drew Josephson said.

SA Senate Speaker Andrew Nelms said the group could find community members to speak at a much lower expense. Nelms also said the organization could find additional funding sources.

“Isn’t that what [Campus Activities Board] Mid-level is for?” Nelms said. CAB Mid-level is a fund managed by CAB and used as a supplemental funding source for organizations planning events.

College Parents’ Group members said they were not able to find speakers on campus who filled their needs.

“We’ve done our research for everything,” said Shameka Hill, the organization’s vice president.

Donna Dalton, SA senator and finance committee member, said the College Parents’ Group’s allocation was high, considering the group received $400 for fiscal 2004, which is its first year of funding.

“We gave them over [$1,000], [which] is still a very large sum of money [that] they should be very happy with,” Dalton said. “A lot of organizations don’t get that after being funded for many, many years.”

College Parents’ Group President Latatia Wright did not want the number of years her group had received funding to be an issue when considering the request.

“Where there’s a need – that’s what should make the difference,” Wright said. “We’re thankful for what we did get. We’ll go forth; we’ll still survive.”

The finance committee voted to postpone indefinitely a bill that would allocate $1,450 for polo shirts for SA senators. The committee’s decision killed the bill without the committee or the senate having to take a formal vote on it.

“I don’t think that anyone would be embarrassed [by voting on the bill],” Nelms said. “The committee voiced its opinion by voting to postpone indefinitely. That was the most logical way to dispose of the matter.”

The finance committee also decided to give the NIU Veterans Club $1,305 for fiscal 2005. The club was allocated $973 for fiscal 2004.

“I think what we gave them was totally fair,” said Conicia Jackson, SA senator and finance committee member.

Nelms said he agreed with Jackson, and said he thought the club’s allocation was sufficient.