The Associated Student Government (ASG) unanimously passed the student organization budget for this semester during its meeting Tuesday. ASG will fund 163 organizations and 434 events with $355,224 after a 10 percent cutback is applied—the lowest cutback in years.

A cutback reduces the amount of money awarded to organizations from their original requested amounts. This year, student organizations requested $390,746 from ASG.

ASG continued its meeting with another resolution presented by President of the Student Body senior John Stefanksi: Restructuring the Election Procedure of Vice President for Student Organizations.

Stefanksi explained that the vice president for student organizations is one of the most crucial positions within ASG, as the VP controls a $1.1 million dollar budget and holds all student organizations accountable for how student money is spent.

In the past, candidates for the position have tended to run un-opposed, due to a complicated election procedure.

The resolution, if passed, is designed to encourage more candidates to apply for the position, thus ensuring a more capable and experienced VP, by selecting the VP using a bylaw-specified board. Hence, this position will no longer be directly elected by the student body.

The board will be comprised of the outgoing student body president, the outgoing chief of staff, the outgoing treasurer, the advisor to the vice president of student organizations, and the four members of the ASG Funding Committee.

Stefanski said the new election board will make the election process more practical, which will attract more eligible candidates to the position.

“We want more people to get involved and run for this position, and this is a much more manageable way to be elected,” he said.

Student Senate will also vote on this bill at next week’s meeting.

Following this, Stefanksi presented A Bill to Continue the Support of a Medical Emergency Assistance Program, also known as Medical Amnesty.

The bill is designed to encourage Miami University to adopt a Medical Emergency Assistance Program in order to “enhance student safety, minimize risk of adverse outcomes from overconsumption of alcohol, impact immediate and long-term risk behavior, and clarify emphasis on student success.”

If passed by both Student Senate and the Miami University Board of Trustees, this bill will ensure that underage students who drink to excess and require emergency medical attention will not receive school punishment.

Stefanski argued the health and welfare of Miami students should always come first, especially since 17,000 students die each year from alcohol consumption.

“You should not be penalized if you need help,” he said. “If you’re getting to the point that you have to go to the hospital every time you drink, you have a problem, and the university needs to help address that.”

Student Senate will vote on the Medical Amnesty bill at next week’s meeting.

Also during its meeting, ASG elected sophomore Shahryar Qureshi to fill an off-campus senator seat.

Quershi ran unopposed, and stressed that his experience as treasurer with the Student Government Association on Miami University’s Hamilton campus makes him a strong candidate for senator. In addition, he said he hopes to use his position and Middle Eastern background to represent and increase diversity in Senate and throughout campus.

He also emphasized the passion he possesses for student government.

“I’m very passionate about student government, and I’m sure that many of you that have that same passion know where I’m coming from,” he said. “I really enjoy helping our community to become the best it can be.”