Senate discusses financial matters

The Associated Students Senate approved a plan last Wednesday to waive A.S.I. executives' university fees and looked for ways to get some money for themslves.

The subsidies, amounting to $792 a semester, are in addition to the $13,000-plus annual salaries A.S.I. executives currently earn.

Sergeant-at-Arms David Krapf expressed concern that students thought that the A.S.I. money would fund the scholarships," he said. "But it doesn't."

Sen.-at-large Bita Sharif said she supported the plan, "as long as it doesn't get taken from [students'] pockets." The proposal presented by A.S.I. President Carl Kemp indicates that the money will come from Cal State Long Beach College and Extension Services "discretionary funds." Ernesto Solis, a senator from the College of Business, said he would like to see similar senate scholarships. Sen.-at-large Nicole Drake agrees. "We as a senate need to look for ways to get compensation," she said. Sharif took issues with Drake's statement. "We can't take something that was for executives and make it for senators," she said. "That's not right."

Drake said that it was "politics." "If you scratch someone's back, maybe they'll scratch yours."

Brandi Jones, senator from the College of Education, agreed with Sharif. "What this sounds like to me is, 'They're getting this, where's ours?' " she said.