The use of student fee-funded BlackBerries for Student Government leaders spurred debate Monday during the SG Committee on Finance’s meeting.
SG President Chris Odinet allocated $2,400 within the student fee-funded budget to continue servicing four BlackBerries during the 2006-2007 academic year. The SG Senate will vote Wednesday to either approve or reject the budget.
Former SG President Michelle Gieg purchased five BlackBerries for her executive staff with presidential contingency funds during her term. The initial purchase cost was $300 per BlackBerry.
Within the current budget, two legislative members and Odinet’s two executive assistants would receive the BlackBerries remaining from Gieg’s term. The annual cost of servicing each BlackBerry through Cingular Wireless is $600.
Crawford Leavoy, interim executive assistant in Odinet’s administration, said BlackBerries are essential for optimum SG efficiency. Leavoy said BlackBerries are needed for fulfilling the executive branch’s 24-hour student response guarantee.
“Parents should not have to pay for work-related text messages and service,” Leavoy said. “Sometimes decisions need to be rushed.”
Graduate School Sen. Donald Hodge voiced opposition to the BlackBerry funding, repeatedly calling the allowance “extravagant.” Hodge compared the proposal to purchasing plush carpet for his home, saying it is an extravagance rather than a necessity.
“How can you justify this $1,200 expense that is not necessary?” Hodge asked Odinet.
Odinet, who owns a personal device similar to a BlackBerry, said BlackBerries provide an instant means of communication for timely issues. Odinet provided an example of an SG leader trying to walk through the Quad while typing e-mails on a laptop. Odinet said BlackBerries provide the instant access that is needed for many important decisions.
Odinet also compared the funding to funding of Senate clicker devices.
“It’s not a necessity,” Odinet said. “But it’s a great convenience.”
Odinet said the BlackBerries should be used since they were already initially purchased under Gieg’s administration.
“It might be even more of a waste for them to sit in a drawer unused,” Odinet said.
Hodge plans to propose an amendment Wednesday to strike BlackBerry funding from the budget, he told The Daily Reveille.
Under the current budget proposal, Speaker of the Senate Evan Bergeron and Speaker Pro-Tempore Ashley Martin would receive the two other BlackBerries.
Bergeron defended the allotment to committee members, citing a need for legislative efficiency.
“I maintain my position that we have use for them,” Bergeron told The Daily Reveille.
Bergeron said since the legislative branch is the largest SG branch, it is sometimes more difficult to have timely communication between various committees.
“My whole agenda is efficiency within the Senate,” Bergeron said.
Rachel Schott, interim director for finance in Odinet’s administration, received a BlackBerry while working as an executive assistant in Gieg’s administration. Schott defended the allotment to committee members but characterized the BlackBerries as a convenience.
“When [Gieg’s executive staff] had five [BlackBerries], it was a little over the top,” Schott said.
When the budget is debated Wednesday at the SG Senate meeting, a majority vote is required to either make amendments or approve.
“Whatever the Senate decides is fine with me,” Odinet told The Daily Reveille.
 
Contact Amy Brittain at [email protected]