Funding for organizations eliminated

Thursday, May 9, 1996

Budget problems force ending Melnitz Movies, Environmental
CoalitionBy Ryan Ozimek

Daily Bruin Contributor

Proving to be a fatal blow to both the Environmental Coalition
and the Melnitz Movies program, the Graduate Students Association
(GSA) withdrew all funding to the two student organizations, by
approving their 1996-1997 budget Wednesday.

In its seventh year, the Environmental Coalition has created
forums, panels, and different discussions concerning different
environmental issues at UCLA and in the outside community.

"We’ve got different committees that have focused on campus
issues such as recycling and have effectively been able to place
recycling bins across campus and also got the administration to buy
more recycled products to complete the recycling loop," said Yuki
Kidokoro, director of the Environmental Coalition.

Without funding from the graduate government next year, the
coalition will be forced to look for outside monetary resources or
shut down temporarily . Despite having no definite solution yet,
Kidokoro hoped the coalition will be able to find a better
solution.

"I’m somewhat optimistic about getting enough money just to
operate next year, but it’s going to be tough," Kidokoro
admitted.

The loss of funding from the graduate students association stems
from financial problems at the students’ association (ASUCLA).

Because of delays in the Ackerman Union construction project,
the student’s association is negotiating a $20 million loan from
the university to keep the association from bankruptcy.

A potential condition of the loan would be elimination of the
Student Interaction Funds ­ funds used by the undergraduate
and graduate governments to fund various programs such as the
Environmental Coalition and Melnitz Movies. The interaction fund
would resume when the students’ association pays off the debt.

This year, these funds were budgeted at $100,000, of which 2/3
went to the undergraduate government and the rest given to the
graduate association.

Over the past few years, the undergraduate government has been
able to prepare for the loss of the Student Interaction Funds by
increasing the fees it receives from students. The graduate
association, on the other hand, has not been able to do the
same.

Unable to receive large enough voter turnout at general
elections to approve a fee increase, the graduate government hasn’t
raised its $5.50 fee in more than 10 years. With these low fees,
the association is barely breaking even, said Jerry Mann, the
Student Support Interim Director for the students’ association.

"GSA has come to a fiscal crossroad," Mann said. "If things
don’t begin to improve soon, GSA may begin to wither away within
the next four to five years."

And one of the consequences may be eliminating some student
programming.

Melnitz Movies, which has been in existence for more than 10
years, provides film presentations, sneak previews and promotes
independent filmmakers.

Melnitz’s director, N’Dine Rowe, expressed her disappointment in
the loss of funding to the program.

"We’re not going to be able to keep it up to the same level we
have this year," Rowe said. "We’ve changed the program a lot,
adding more multicultural features and people seemed to respond
well to it. It’s definitely a shame that we won’t be able to keep
it up."

Looking for new ways to receive funding, Rowe said that Melnitz
Movies would need financial support from several organizations,
such as the School of Theater, Film and Television and outside
studio organizations to keep the program running at a bare minimum
next year.

Kidokoro added that she plans to work with the graduate
government to look for various other ways to receive funding for
next year.