Hillsdale College’s Student Federation quickly approved $7,000, 58 percent of this semester’s discretionary budget, to help fund the College Republicans’ Conservative Political Action Conference trip last week.
Twelve representatives voted in favor of fully funding the $7,000 proposal, five voted against it, and two abstained. Of the voting members, nine are attending CPAC: Seven voted for full funding, one against, and one abstained. Treasurer junior Chris Pudenz attributed the 20-minute voting session to the large discretionary surplus of $44,658.04.
“The sentiment last year was very strong that because of such a high dollar amount, subsequent student federations did not particularly want to see another $7,000 proposal, which is what we just saw,” Pudenz said.
Student Fed only receives $12,000 to spend every semester after publication costs.
“The main problem I had with the $7,000 proposal is that is over half of our budget for the semester, just gone,” Sophomore Independent Rep. Christie Mittelstaedt said.
Pudenz and Mittelstaedt both voted no in part because they said College Republicans anticipated the federation would grant them between $5,000 and $7,000 in their planning.
College Republicans requested the same amount last year because state funding fell through but received $6,000 following a two-hour meeting characterized by intense conversation over the grant.
Student Fed adviser Anthony Manno said although CPAC is great for students and the college, members should have partial funding because the conference is off-campus. He said the trip excludes students who can’t afford the $130 cost or to miss classes, adding that the excursion has a “suspect educational aspect”: CPAC has a reputation for the parties that occur during the conference.
This year, 165 students—21 more than last year—will attend, despite the price hike from $50. College Republicans Trustee senior Sam Holdeman said the $7,000 price tag accounted for the decrease in financial assistance from conservative political action groups such as the Michigan Federation of College Republicans, due to more funds tied to campaign during this election year.
The finance committee initially recommended funding $5,000.
Pi Beta Phi Rep. junior Lauren Renslow said it would “alleviate some burdens and encourage good fundraising habits in the future.”
While Student Fed agreed to pay 16 percent of the total cost of the trip, it requested the group advance registration to November or December and reach out to parents sooner in future years.
Freshman Independent Rep. Ross Hatley said he supported full funding because only receiving $5,000 would cripple the group.
“With demands so high, in my mind, this proposal looks more like an emergency bailout instead of a normal proposal,” he said. “It’s unusual, but then again, it’s an election year.”
After the decision, President of Student Fed junior Christian Wiese expressed his neutrality on the issue.
“The reps made their decision, and I thought both sides communicated their points well enough to sway each other,” Wiese said.
