ASPSU is planning to significantly increase its budget allocation for next school year and already has big ideas for how to distribute it.
Brandon Harris, executive chief of staff of ASPSU, said the 2012–13 budget should see a raise of just over $40,000, putting the total ASPSU allotment close to $222,300.
ASPSU is planning to significantly increase its budget allocation for next school year and already has big ideas for how to distribute it.
Brandon Harris, executive chief of staff of ASPSU, said the 2012–13 budget should see a raise of just over $40,000, putting the total ASPSU allotment close to $222,300.
“The budget proposal for next year’s ASPSU administration was created by the staff, with feedback from members of all branches,” Harris said. “It was approved by the Senate before it was sent to the Student Fee Committee, where it was slightly modified to create the end result. Committees from each branch of ASPSU met to talk about how to improve ASPSU internally; ideas that came out of those talks are reflected in the proposal.”
Currently, the ASPSU budget operates under a tier system, which distributes funds to student government positions based on a structured hierarchy, with the positions receiving the most money also having the most responsibility.
“The tier system is something we’ve created for this year, to figure out how much each position needs to be paid,” Harris explained.
There are seven levels in the system. Award totals for the levels range from $300 per term for tier one to $2,700 per term for tier seven. The budgetary increases are going to be spread between these tiers.
“Raises would go to specific tier levels,” Harris said. “For example, tier-two people are currently awarded $525 per term, and that’s been increased to $800 per term for next year. $525 doesn’t really reflect the responsibilities of those positions.”
Harris explained that all members of tier two and tier three would be receiving raises in the next budget. Positions included in those tiers include senators, Judicial Board members, Elections Board members, the Judicial Board chair and the Elections Board chair.
“These positions are integral to the healthy operation of ASPSU, yet have received substantially lower awards compared to other positions, despite the management and responsibility of each position. ASPSU believes in equal access to opportunities and providing an inclusive organization,” Harris said.
Harris explained that the concern is that lower paid positions will “price out” students with lower income who could work a regular job and earn just as much or more than working with ASPSU. As education and housing become more expensive and grants and scholarships become increasingly more competitive, ASPSU wants to make its positions accessible to all students regardless of financial background.
“This has created a situation where the only students who can serve as an ASPSU officer are students that can afford to receive small awards (students that generally receive support from their families) or students who work while serving as an ASPSU officer, which is incredibly difficult and can have negative effects on an individual’s academic success. The awards were increased in order to address these concerns,” Harris wrote in an email.
Harris then went on to point out specific positions from other tiers that he believed would be receiving raises, primarily due to their advanced responsibility and management that their current award total did not reflect.
“Another position that will be getting a bigger jump is the Senate president pro-tempore, who’s receiving around $675 per term this year,” Harris said. “We’re planning on bumping that up to the equal pay of an executive staff member. We’d also like to focus on senate secretary, as that position carries a lot of obligations as well. We have a consistent history of having senate secretaries leaving and not having them throughout the year. It makes it harder for the public to read the minutes if there’s not a consistent secretary throughout the year.”
The 2012–13 budget and raises have not been posted online yet, but the 2011–12 figures are there if Portland State students wish to view them, at sa.pdx.edu/budgets. Harris believes that this represents a great step forward for the availability of ASPSU and the organization’s commitment to transparency.
“The mere fact that it’s up online is a huge accomplishment,” Harris said. “When I was at Western Oregon, you couldn’t even see the previous year’s student government budget publicly. And our site goes back to 2001; students can see a whole decade’s worth of budgets, and how their student fees are being spent. I would imagine that it’s very empowering for students to be able to do that.”
It’s slightly amusing but more so disgusting to watch that guy try to spin voting himself a pay raise as some noble cause
Funny, ASPSU staff members don’t have a vote in the Senate so he couldn’t have voted to give himself a raise, that’s assuming he will be there next year to even get that raise. Please get your information correct before you make a statement.
Funny, since the article specifically states that “The budget proposal for next year’s ASPSU administration was created by the staff.” Maybe you should get your information correct before you tell someone to get their information correct.
It’s been interesting to watch the Vanguard smear ASPSU. After all, our student government is trying to prevent tuition from going up, the unnecessary hiring of administrators (who by the way, receive very generous salaries which our tuition dollars pay for), and the prioritization of business interests over that of PSU students. Of course, that would require the Vanguard to report actual news.
Secondly, these are service awards for what these students are doing for PSU. Many of the students work hard in order to get students involved politically and with the campus environment. The awards that they receive are for the time they put in and more often than not, they go towards paying tuition (which, by the way, is going up).
If the author was concerned with the actual funding at PSU, he would have done his job and actually researched it, instead of whining about how he isn’t getting a raise.
However, this all could change if he decided to become involved with student government (I heard there are some senate openings if you’re interested).
The author never whined that he isn’t getting a raise, where did you even read that?
The article was completely factual and neutral, maybe it’s just because this inherently makes ASPSU look bad? Greedy? Self-entitled and undeserving?
ASPSU should not give itself massive pay raises and $40,000 budget increases when it doesn’t deserve it, and this is even more abundantly clear with poor excuses like these made on their behalf. There’s a reason people don’t get involved with this student government.
Oh, and Adam Rahmlow has trashed ASPSU’s credibility this year, so good luck to them on doing anything significant when their president is the laughing-stock of the campus.
ASPSU does not deserve to get a raise when almost like every year, this organization fails to accomplish anything on the student body’s behalf. What has ASPSU exactly done for the students of PSU other than a Timbers Viewing Party (last time I checked, it is the Portland Vikings that we should be cheering on at the games), a poorly attended Townhall Meeting, and scandal after scandal, most notably ASPSU President Adam Rahmlow’s embarrassing time in jail. How can anyone take this organization seriously?
ASPSU is undeserving of this increased compensation until they start actually making themselves relevant to students. The students of PSU deserve better.
I hope more people vote in the student elections this time around, we get these doofuses in part because most of campus doesn’t bother to vote, so only the die-hards are the ones who participate. We get the representation we deserve, as it’s said.
I know some folks will say stuff like this is the reason why they don’t vote in student elections in the first place, but if more students voted then we’d be less likely to get poor representation like this. Most of the people I’ve talked to are not happy with this year’s ASPSU, but then again most of them didn’t vote either.
You may be right about the voting, but last year was a joke on how the voting proceeded. I voted for the first time among many others against the current president. We already knew that he was going to be a laughing-stock this year just by basing it off of his dishonest credibility and actions during his past affiliations as senate and other organizations like the tennis club where he was impeached.
So how did his team win?? A chunk load of the votes were most likely from first time voters or inexperienced voters who just voted with a name they remembered on the streets/buildings. Of course Adam obviously won the award of advertisement with his name/slate mentioned somewhere in pretty much every building on campus a long with over a dozen other campaign infractions. You honestly couldn’t walk 30 feet anywhere on campus and not see his name/slate on the ground in huge chalk letters. No matter how you see it, he would of won either way with those kind of messed up methods.
The people in charge should of been more harsh on him with the votes with all his infractions, now the whole PSU is paying the price. Well done well done. Now they can see it for sure with his mistakes this term. It’s no wonder no one takes ASPSU seriously anymore it’s a joke.
I don’t think we disagree; a lot of folks who would’ve voted last year didn’t because they got so turned off and cynical by the behavior of this slate. I actually believe if the election board did the right thing and expelled these guys from the ballot when they deserved it, turnout would’ve been higher. These guys turned so many people away from voting.
Karl Rove would be proud!
Ironically, Raz Budhathoki (who is pictured) is one of the two senators who actually voted against this budget, along with Diamond Zerework.
Thank you to these two senators for actually paying attention and having sound judgment. Other senators, take note.
Having a hard time deciding which word describes ASPSU better, greedy or irresponsible. I’ll stick to “jerks” for now.
LOL. Interesting Logic. It just bleeds altruism.