Members of the Tempe Undergraduate Student Government Senate discussed reconsidering the allocation of funds to a sexual education organization on campus during its Tuesday meeting, creating a lively discussion about Tempe USG's stance on appropriate funding.
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Senator Joan LeBeau introduced Senate Bill 34 to reverse the budget for VOX: Voices for Planned Parenthood, a sexual education organization on campus.
While the bill was not passed, LeBeau said she was not a part of the appropriation committee's discussion that initially approved the organization's general funding and tried to re-discuss or regress the appropriation by introducing SB 34.
In order to pass a general budget through the appropriations committee, two senators would have to approve of it. LeBeau said that VOX's budget passed through the committee without her input.
As a part of VOX's general funding, the organization has been allocated $700 for the Fall 2015 semester for sexual health items, which include condoms and a representation of a penis for an educational tool.
VOX President Emily Lauber said she was shocked that the issue, which she learned about two hours before the meeting, was brought up by the Senate.
"The fact that, out of nowhere, I'm hit with this curveball where there's never been an issue before," she said. "There's nothing in (Tempe) USG funding that specifically bans these. I was just flabbergasted — I felt like I was hit with no warning that this could even be an issue."
LeBeau said that funding for the organization should not extend past general funding for aspects such as events, T-shirts and food.
"Is sex a student activity that we have to fund?" she asked during the meeting. "I'm not sure if that's the case."
In September, the Federal government nearly shut down by the Republican-controlled House of Representatives bent on slashing funding for Planned Parenthood, an action that Lauber said manifested itself at the USG Senate meeting.
"I am amazed that this is a political issue because, to me, it's common sense that you provide sexual health education, that you fund well-women exams, that you allow this for lower-income people," she said about the Planned Parenthood debate. "So I'm amazed that it's debated and was then shocked that it manifested itself here at (Tempe) USG."
Tempe USG President Issac Miller said certain values that LeBeau represented were good, but there was a bigger issue at hand.
"We want to be forward-thinking in what we're representing," he said during the meeting. "The issue points to the general question of what we want to be funding. Our interest is supporting student organizations."
Editor's Note: Joan LeBeau is a former Opinion Columnist for The State Press. She was not involved in the reporting, writing or editing of this story.
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Reach the reporter at Jlsuerth@asu.edu or follow @SuerthJessica on Twitter.
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