Saturday, January 30, 2010
Wasteful Spending
President Reilly recently sent a proposal (warning: .doc file) to Senator Hostmeyer, Chair of the Committee on Budget and Finance. He is asking for $5,000 for the purchase of WAC Basketball Tournament tickets and nearly $8,200 so ASUN can pay for the replacement suits for Alphie and Wofie.
I'll address my concerns regarding purchasing new mascot outfits. In 2009, Athletics was to receive $7 million from the state, with $2 million going to athletic scholarships.1 The department ended up with around $5.85 million.2 The department also expected to generate $17 million in self supporting revenue.3 The figure to date is $15.1 million.4
What's my point? ASUN has a budget that sits at a little over 10% of the athletic budget. Yet ASUN can afford an expenditure of $8,200 but athletics can't? I'm dubious. But, let's accept the premise. Then, we can conclude ASUN has more money than it knows what to do with, if 9 months into a term it has that much money lying around. This is just one example of many of why ASUN does not need more money. Note, this money is not coming out of the contingency fund, but the nearly $30,000 that still remains uncommitted. Thirty-thousand dollars out of a discretionary fund of somewhere around $600,000.
I would personally like to see the top coaches and department heads, all of whom make make very nice six-figure salaries sacrifice a little for the respect of Nevada. How very populist of me.5
I won't say much on the $5,000 for WAC tournament tickets other than that I paid for my own tickets back in 2006, and I'm pretty sure there was not an inadequate supply of similar minded fans. This is, in my mind, just another example of wasteful, unnecessary, hard to justify spending. But, when you have more money than you know what to do with, it's easy to throw it at things. Like the geniuses over at SFL.
References
1 Parker and Shively, "University Budgets: A Guide for the Perplexed", 2009.2 2009-2010 State Appropriated Budgets.
3 Parker and Shively, 2009.
4 2009-2010 Self-Supporting Budgets. (warning: .xls (Excel) file)
5 Executive Salary Schedule.
Posts
If I was Senator Hostmeyer, I was just send a big fat "No" in reply.
ReplyDeleteI guess my only question is, if buying a new mascot uniform to promote school spirit, and some basketball tickets to encourage a good turn out are "wasteful spending" what should they be spending the money on?
ReplyDeleteShould they have instead put all the uncommitted funds into C&O? Given it back to the University to help with the budget cuts? Put on more programming events? Given a tax rebate?
The problem with classifying something as "wasteful spending" in ASUN is the same problem they have in Congress with pork-barrel spending. While you might think it's wasteful, it could be very important to another group of students. One man's pork is another's job creation program.
What does ASUN get out of this deal? As far as I can tell, not much. Spending money on the uniforms isn't necessarily a bad thing, but only if ASUN gets something in return.
ReplyDeleteI think the best thing ASUN should ask for is complete control over student ticketing policies.
On the tickets, ASUN should only subsidize the cost, not outright purchase them. When tickets are free, it's easy to decide to not attend the game when there is no cost borne on the freerider.
"WE, THE UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA, RENO, in order to form a more perfect association, advance our interests, set forth our duties, and provide for meaningful participation in the governance of our University, do hereby establish this Constitution for the Associated Students."
ReplyDeletePretty sure you'll recognize that Sean. "Advance our interesting...more perfect association" one could easily argue that promoting school spirit and participation in University public activities such as sporting events that generally get national attention is advancing the interests and providing for a more perfect association.
If we host the WAC and it's an empty stadium for non-Nevada games, chances are we won't get to host it again. I'll agree they probably should have been subsidized instead of outright purchased, maybe make them $5 or less that way students have to put in some effort. But subsidized or not, it's still something that is good for ASUN. ASUN as in the students, not as in the government, and the government is for the students. If it's good for the students, it's good for the ASUN.
I'm sure you'll agree that since ASUN is a representative government, it's first and foremost duty is to do things for students. This is one of the most direct ways that can happen. Chances are, ask the average student who their Senator is, or who even the President is, they can't answer. Ask them to name a few basketball or football players, a vast majority will be able to.
As I said before, "wasteful spending" is all relative. I'm sure there are a few students out there who would consider Senate compensation wasteful spending. Or having secretaries to transcribe minutes from meetings no one cares about. Or a Director that just babysits Senators.
Why should ASUN artificially inflate school spirit?
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure the WAC isn't coming back to Nevada next time anyway....and I'm okay with the Mascots if ASUN gets to use them for whatever they want (events, promotions, etc) since we are fronting the money for the costumes.
ReplyDeleteBuying a uniform and paying the stipend of the person in the suit are two different things. If ASUN paid both, yes it would need to be available to ASUN.
ReplyDeleteBesides there is a $2,000 color laser printer that was bought 2 years ago that never gets used. Doesn't seem like ASUN likes to use equipment it buys...
However, if they could get a Senator or something to put on the suit...
ReplyDeleteI hear Senator Kealy likes to wear costumes.
ReplyDeletehttp://nevadasagebrush.com/blog/2008/10/21/former-ato-members-poke-fun-at-hazing-scandal/