ASG budget may go public

After Tyler Arden calls for greater transparency from ASG, budget could be public 

Luke Garrett / News Editor / The USD Vista

Half a dozen student government officials offered Tyler Arden pizza before senate began on Thursday. 

The senior marketing major has attended three senate meetings this semester. Each time, he calls for greater transparency within the Associated Student Government (ASG) and asks that its budget be made public. 

Two weeks ago ASG voted to allocate $3,000 of their budget to pay for lunches at senate meetings, and later did not address Arden’s call for a public ASG budget. This week Arden came back to senate to call for the budget to be made public once again and politely declined those who offered him a slice. 

He began his statement by assuring ASG members that he was not there to demonize them, as ASG members expressed concern that this would happen after funding lunches, but to call for greater transparency.

“My main reason for calling for this budget to be public is that we are the only peer institution here in San Diego that their Associated Student Government does not release their budget,” Arden said.  

He went on to explain that every student at USD pays upward of $200 each year for their student activity fee and that he thinks they deserve to know how the money is spent. Arden alluded to the university’s own budget and how they provide students with a breakdown of funds. 

The response from ASG officials was mixed. Three high-ranking officials within ASG — members of the leadership team and committee chairs — argued against making the budget public.

Finance Chair George Saunderson said ASG will only give paying students the total sum of the budget — around $1.2 million.

“We will give you a gross amount, but we don’t give out details to things,” Saunderson said. 

Chair of the Sustainability Committee Rhonda Papp warned against publicizing the budget because she feared students would not be able to understand it. 

“Although I think the budget is important, I really think most students wouldn’t understand how to read everything,” Papp said. 

Speaker of the Senate Carolina Moreno Armenta questioned Arden as to why he wanted to see the budget. 

“Could I know more about what specifically is your yearning to see the budget?” Armenta asked. “Do you think we haven’t been using it appropriately? What is the reason you think behind you calling to see the budget?” 

Arden responded by repeating his belief that transparency is always good and that students pay for the budget and they should therefore make it public. He also shared concern at Papp’s comment. 

“I think it is a little disingenuous to say that students can’t understand budgets necessarily,” Arden said.

A handful of low-ranking senators — those who are not chairs nor on the leadership team — supported the idea of making the budget public. Camino Founders Senator Kwawen Awotwi asked if ASG could give students a run down of where their money is going.

“Could we do something like, (publish) what (students) are paying for?” Awotwi asked. 

After the meeting Awotwi shared his thoughts further.

“I mean, yeah, I feel like it would be nice,” Awotwi said. “Transparency is always good. It allows us to come to our own conclusions.”

Senators Simon Mizrahi and Justin Daus also voiced their support of  a public budget. 

The decision to make the budget public is up to the finance committee led by Sauderson. A senator asked if members of the public could attend the committee meeting, but Saunderson quickly reminded them that finance meetings are private. He  did not mention, however, that the senate has the option to vote to make the finance committee meeting public until he was asked later by The USD Vista.  

Arden’s calls for transparency might have resonated more than was immediately apparent. On Tuesday, in a closed-door meeting, Finance Committee unanimously voted to make the ASG allocation budget public to students, as Arden  repeatedly asked for in weeks prior.  

Senate will vote on whether to make the budget public on Nov. 14 in Solomon Hall at 12:15 p.m. 

The meeting is open to all students.