The Student Association finance committee concluded a nearly four-hour meeting by slashing almost $300,000 from the proposed Campus Activity Board’s budget.

CAB’s proposed budget, which originally was more than $850,000, was cut to $555,000 after the committee went line by line through CAB’s 15 sub-budgets, making deductions.

The committee spent the first half of the meeting reviewing the adjustments made at the meetings that were held Tuesday and Wednesday.

Originally, the committee cut the budget to about $585,000.

Each sub-budget once again was examined line by line for priority. Honorariums, which are amounts paid to speakers or performers for attending events, were reduced.

Then, the committee followed up with more cuts, hoping to cut an additional $50,000. After close review, the committee chose to cut about $30,000.

During discussion of CAB’s Visual Arts budget, finance committee member Jeff Meyer said the committee should wait until the SA art curator in the proposed SA budget comes up before discussing Visual Arts.

“I’ll do one better,” said SA treasurer and president-elect Shaun Crisler, “I’ll cross it off.”

Crisler made a verbal agreement with the finance committee, saying he will remove the position of art curator from the SA’s budget.

He also said he will eliminate pay increases for paid SA positions, despite his desire to recruit talented people.

Crisler said he plans to go line by line with the finance committee and the SA Senate when the budget comes up for review, adding he will present a proposed SA budget of about $255,000.

“If you don’t think this is the right amount, then show me where I am wrong,” said Crisler, speaking about letters he has received concerning the originally proposed budget of $294,000.

He remained adamant on his stance that since funding for the SA comes from student fees, it is separate from any budget crisis and tuition increase that occurs on state and university levels.