ASA Quorum Reached for a Second Time in AUBG History




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  • 2018-10-16 22:48:32
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  For a second time in the history of AUBG, the students of the university reached a quorum at the All-Student Assembly (ASA). The reason behind it was the extra $500 that the Student Government (SG) decided to allocate for an SG event foreseen for next semester. On Oct. 4, Thursday, at 7:30 p.m. 220 students joined SG at the ABF Carl Djerassi Theatre to hold the ASA.  [caption id="attachment_39704" align="aligncenter" width="2224"]The Audience at the All-Student Assembly, Steliyana Yordanova for AUBG Daily The audience at the All-Student Assembly looking at the clubs' budgets, Steliyana Yordanova for AUBG Daily[/caption] The quorum was the result of an SG meeting held on Oct. 3 when club budgets were discussed. The students representing the Rock Jamming Club (RJC), Samodiva, and Writer's Guild were disillusioned with their budgets. “I just wanted an explanation [on the distribution of the budget],” commented Vassiliy Kharlamov, a junior and co-president of the Rock Jamming Club. “I wanted to know what the criteria are. [The Student Government] did not provide a lot of information. Four years ago, they rejected us because we didn't have a lot of events on campus. We changed that.” [caption id="attachment_39705" align="aligncenter" width="2224"]Vassiliy Kharlamov, co-president of Rock Jamming Club Vassiliy Kharlamov, co-president of Rock Jamming Club, Steliyana Yordanova for AUBG Daily[/caption] The heated dispute led unsatisfied club representatives to urge the student body on social media to attend the ASA the following day. To reach a quorum, at least 20 percent of the student body should be present at the Assembly. This means 178 people were needed and 40 people more showed up to pass this threshold. [caption id="attachment_39706" align="aligncenter" width="2224"]Members of the Student Government, Georgi Leshkov - Vice President, Simona Tarpova - President, Kristina Kukoleva - Chair, Simona Galabova - Treasurer, Steliyana Yordanova for AUBG Daily Members of the Student Government; Georgi Leshkov - Vice President, Simona Tarpova - President, Kristina Kukoleva - Chair, Simona Galabova - Treasurer (from left to right), Steliyana Yordanova for AUBG Daily[/caption] Kharlamov was part of the organizers of the event together with members of More Honors, Samodiva, InFocus and Writer’s Guild. At the beginning of the Assembly, audience members raised a motion to take the $500 from SG and allocate them to the clubs that claim to need the money. After the motion passed, two clubs contributed money to help other clubs. The Griffins were the first ones who gave away $100 from their budget, followed by The Hub with $200. After all representatives of the clubs shared their concerns, the total of $800 was distributed equally between Samodiva, Dance Crew, Model United Nations (MUN), Assets Trading and Management Club (ATM), Students Advocating Gender Equality (SAGE), Medieval Society, The Psychology Club, and InFocus each receiving $100 more in their budgets. [caption id="attachment_39707" align="aligncenter" width="2224"]The clubs' budgets before the motion was raised, Steliyana Yordanova for AUBG Daily The clubs' budgets before the motion was raised; Steliyana Yordanova for AUBG Daily[/caption] “They do not need the extra $500 for the SG events and collaboration between clubs,” said Kharlamov. “They didn’t elaborate on the event [...] and the ASA proved clubs can work together. The most important is that the communication was achieved and the fact we reached a quorum speaks for itself.” "I expected a quorum because I personally invited people to come," said Simona Tarpova, president of SG. "I wanted to elaborate on the issues that turned into rumors. I think the meeting was quite successful. The people who didn't have information about the duties of the Student Government received it at the Assembly. A lot of people told me afterward that the meeting helped them understand and appreciate what we do. The meeting itself united us as a society and showed that we can work together."