Finance committee faces major budget challenges

Funding cutbacks set ripple effects through the DASB Senate budget plans as the finance committee deals with a shortage of revenue.
In a DASB Senate meeting on Feb. 14, chair of finance committee Amanda Le, 21, business administration major, reported a $90,000 cut in revenue this year.
Funds 41 and 46, the college services and student representations fund received cuts across the board to accommodate this year’s allocated funds.
“If we have to cut $90,000, we wanted to be fair and trim from across the board,” Le said
Le stressed that within the time it took for the finance committee to present a general overview of funds, the committee read through each request and, “did our best to fully consider each program’s proposals.”
A new student orientation had funding cut from $4,000 to $2,000 on promotional items.
But one noticeable increase in funds within Fund 41 went to the flea market coordinator, Yali Zhu, granting her a full-time position.
In turn, Le said, Zhu can further expand the flea market, one of De Anza’s biggest sources of revenue.
Several qualified accounts from Fund 41 were moved to Fund 46, effectively freeing up money being used by the former fund such as the DASB Environmental Sustainability Committee
“This is the first fiscal year that student advocacy-related programs will be able to use this money,” Le said. “Last year, we collected money but the budget was not approved by the Board of Trustees in time for usage.”
Le said that the finance committee limited the allocations for its programs, “to set a precedent for future spending habits.”
She added that the yearly income for Fund 46 will be about $30,000, citing declining enrollment.
“The reality is that we are losing a lot of money and we want to focus on sustaining all of our existing programs,” Le said.
Gauging from the reaction of the senate, Le said she hoped the outcome will be close to what the finance committee recommended.
“[W]hat the finance committee values may vary from what the entire senate feels,” she said. “Ultimately, we lay the foundations and give the senate the general directions where we should head. The senate will do the fine tuning.”
The DASB Senate will meet again on Feb. 21 to discuss the proposals and take further action regarding the budget.