The ASUNM Senate unanimously passed the $23,170 fall budget in minutes but wrangled for hours over the wording of a resolution in response to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks during its meeting Wednesday.
The budget provides funding for 52 student groups, considerably more than the roughly 26 in the spring budget, so many chartered groups will find that their funding requests have been reduced, some by more than half.
"It was rough; a lot of groups didn't get what they asked for," said Sen. Tim Serna, a member of the Finance Committee.
The senators applauded the budget, which came up $2,830 below the projected $26,000 the student government will get from student fees. Any surplus, as well as an $8,000 chunk from the Executive Committee, will go into the general fund, which is used for appropriations to student groups.
The $8,000 was part of a balance forward of $16,000 left over after last year. Andrea Cook, Associated Students of UNM president, said the money was left because last year's ASUNM office manager was a temporary employee, who did not receive benefits. The remaining half of the balance forward will be used for office supplies and a new computer.
The Senate had a harder time reaching a consensus, however, during a protracted and contentious debate about the wording of a resolution proclaiming the Senate's willingness to assist people dealing with the terrorist attacks. A portion of the resolution, which originally read, "the ASUNM understands that those responsible are not recognizable by the color of their skin, beliefs in their religion, or nationality of their birth, but by their thirst for terrorism and cowardly nature," came under fire from some senators who said the use of the word coward was inappropriate.
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"Granted, we're representing a certain population, but at the same time it's inaccurate to say it's cowardly because someone believes something else," Sen. Jason Shaffer said. He said the removal of the word would allow the resolution to be more neutral.
Sen. Travis Clark warned that using the word in a resolution would make that the official opinion of the 20,000 students ASUNM represents.
Sen. Sarah Bullard agreed.
"It was inexcusable, but I don't think cowards die for something they believe in," she said. "This is the only way they can attack the U.S. - it says something about our power."
But others said the aim of an ASUNM resolution should not be neutrality.
"Any time you take innocent lives it's cowardly," Sen. Brian Colton said. "This isn't war. These aren't soldiers dying on the battlefield."
Sen. Grant Nichols, who wrote the resolution, brought an end to the heated debate by moving to remove all but two of the seven points of the resolution, contending that every element could conceivably be considered controversial.
The resolution was passed by 15 of the 19 senators, with the removal of the word coward.
During the same meeting, UNM student Dathan Weems and former senator Tina Nguyen asked the Senate to spread the word about Spring Storm, a one-day community service event planned for April 6. It is being organized by a newly-chartered student group called the Community Experience.
The Senate also passed four appropriation bills, $1,290 for the Honors Student Advisory Council, $897 for UNM Public Interest Research Group, $1,290 for Net Impact, $800 for the Society of Women Engineers and $1,800 for the Ice Wolves.
The Senate also swore in court justice Josh Ewing and Sen. Celestina Torres.
