Debate society debates for more money

The Speech & Debate Society appealed for a larger budget at Monday night's Senate meeting, but failed because of new rules which limit the funding of new student groups.

Despite the Debate Society's original request of $9,114.55, the Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate's Allocations Board recommended the Senate grant the group $856.01. The Senate affirmed ALBO's recommendation.

TCU Treasurer and ALBO Chair Ben Lee said one of the reasons $856.01 was recommended was because the Debate Society qualified as a "new group." According to new Senate bylaw 24, which was passed Monday night prior to the Debate Society's appeal, the Debate Society is a new group because it did not have a budget last year, even though it was officially recognized bye the Senate. And with "new group" status, its funding is restricted to $1,000 limit.

The Society wanted to be exempt from the new group classification and considered an established group.

The purpose of the cap is to give new groups what is known as a "probationary period." According to the new bylaw, this will "allow the leadership of the organization to gain valuable experience in programming and working within the University system."

Bylaw 24 defines "new groups" as "groups that have been newly-recognized by the TCU Judiciary (TCUJ)" and "groups that are not newly-recognized but did not receive funding during the normal budgeting process."

The old bylaw 24 said only "newly-recognized" groups fell under the $1,000 cap. Mandell said that the Debate Society might have been able to argue that they were not a "new group" and that they should be able to receive more funding.

Although the current society is considered a new group, there have been debating teams at Tufts before _ in a letter addressed to the Senate, Sandra Fried (LA'01) pointed out "the team often used to pride itself about the first debate ever against Harvard," in the 19th century. Within the past several years, however, interest waned and the team became somewhat "dormant," according to Debate Society President Daniel Mandell.

Last year, Mandell reinstated the debate team and it was officially re-recognized by the, a practice all groups must repeat every year to be eligible for TCU funding. With new recognition, Mandell applied to ALBO for funding. But due to various complications, a budget for last year was never instated and funding was never awarded.

This year, Mandell submitted a new budget request to ALBO asking for $9,114.55. The group listed its major events as a Gubernatorial Debate, An on-campus debate of "hot topics", parliamentary debates, an inner city school debate, and the "Grapple in the Chapel" debate when Tufts would host Cambridge University's debate team.

The debate team then cut down their budget request by scaling down many of their expected expenses and came up with a second figure of $2,450.

ALBO further reduced the Debate Society's proposed budget by eliminating the costs of having the Cambridge team debate. Lee thought that not granting the money was "fiscally responsible" from a treasurer's standpoint, and that the Debate Society can always apply for buffer funding in the spring before the scheduled Cambridge debate. The buffer fund of $50,000 is used to give money extra funds not included in their original budgets.

Mandell thought that ALBO must see the prestigious Cambridge event as "not feasible for a 'new group' to do." He was not convinced there would be enough money left in the buffer fund by the spring.

Despite a lack of funding, the Debate Society was able to host Cambridge last year through co-sponsorship from other groups. But to have Cambridge back this year, the debate team needs to have "secure funds."

Mandell said that as of now, the team would not be able to afford hosting the Cambridge event.

At the meeting, freshman Debate Society executive board member Vinda Rao, spoke for the Debate Society. She said the last penny in the ALBO recommendation of $856.01 was "unwarranted" and done out of "spite and mockery, not out of purpose."

Lee responded that the one-cent was the result of ALBO's specific calculations. Just last week, the Senate passed an ALBO recommendation for $581.04, and on Monday night, they passed another for $756.20. "The Senate is here for groups, not to try to spite groups," Senator Randy Newsom said.

Rao continued her presentation, arguing that its past accomplishments demonstrated its stability. She said schools like Harvard, Yale, and Columbia have debate team budgets in the tens of thousands of dollars. "We don't think we can compete without the funds," she said. "Put faith in us."