Amidst a laundry list of Community Senate proposals with high price tags, the request for $2,927 to fund the Bonner Scholar’s senior service trip to Puerto Rico failed to go through after six blocks and nine stand-asides at the Feb. 11 meeting.The opening statements from the Senate executives about the current budget status set the precedent for concern for those attending the meeting. According to Senate Treasurer Will Vormelker, if Senate passed every proposal on the list, then Senate would have only $8,000 left for the rest of the semester.

During an hour of intense deliberation, students raised several concerns about the Bonner trip to the senior proposal presenters, Saron Smith-Hardin, and Osama Sabbah.

“I don’t see a direct benefit to the community to send nine seniors abroad who will graduate in May,” said Tory Mallett, the academic affairs chair for Senate, in a later interview. She mentioned that her reason for blocking the proposal was that Senate should not fund a service trip far away when many people could be helped locally for less money.

However, in the Senate discussion, Smith-Hardin reminded students that the Bonners commit a tremendous amount of hours to the local Greensboro community. According to James Shields, the director of community learning, each Bonner student does a minimum of 280 hours of service each academic year, though many average 300-320 hours of service: approximately 95-100 percent of that is local. In total, the Bonner group accomplishes approximately 19,000-20,000 hours of service per academic year

Many senators worried that such a trip would not affect the whole community.

“Our impact on the community may not be tangible the way Senate would like to see,” said James Shields, the director of community learning. “I think a lot of students don’t realize all of the work and benefits that the Bonner Scholars provide to the community.

Shields cited Guilford’s national recognition for community service and how Bonners establish service sites locally, nationally, and internationally that any Guilford student could use because of the relationship that they built. He also stressed how the Bonner program teaches members of the community to be socially and culturally aware of issues beyond the horizons of the Guilford bubble.

“The Bonners don’t feel that they are entitled to the money,” said Shields. “It concerns me that people are making decisions based on the idea that we are sitting on a pot of gold.”

As a result of the Lilly Grant running out in December 2007, the Bonner students do not have the same financial resources. Since then, Senate has approved funding for service trips to Nicaragua, Costa Rica and India.

Although the Steering Committee business manager Nancy Klosteridis said she fully supports the work the Bonners do, she worries that Bonners may depend too much on Senate funding.

“We don’t like to be passed the bill,” said Klosteridis, who stood aside on the vote. “The Bonners need to consider the future of their programs fiscally if going to places like the Crow reservation and abroad are so important to them.”

Some senators received the first-year’s proposal with fewer reservations because of their future plans to increase fundraising for the annual trip.

For the past eight years, the first-year Bonners have taken the trip to the reservation. Students involved with the Bonner program emphasized the importance of serving more than simply the local community.

“It’s crucial to continue a relationship with the Crow reservation,” said senior Bonner Natan Harel. “You have to treat it as you would a good friend. You can’t just cut off contact.”

Senators expressed a need for more specific by-laws to help determine what should and should not be funded by student activities fees.

“We need to change to way the by-laws handle personal trips so that personal opinion does not determine why some trips should or should not get funded,” said senior Shepard Lashley, a communications coordinator for Senate. He reiterated that the senior Bonners successfully raised $11,200 for their trip.

Senators differed in their views on why Senate faces such a difficult budget conundrum. As Senate tends to face more pricey proposals in the spring, Lashley argued that the money should have been handled more responsibly.

“It’s not fair to the Bonners to deny them money based solely on Senate’s current budget situation,” said Lashley.

Mallet pointed out that Senate blocked two proposals last semester and stated that the increasing demand for Senate’s money caused the current budget situation. “Senate this year has actually been more fiscally responsible,” she said.

Shields reflected that the problem may be even broader than just Senate.

“I think the whole community needs to come together and decide how to spend their student activities fees,” said Shields. “If we are a community that prides ourselves on service, then students who don’t go out into the world and serve need to support other students who go out and do work that makes real change happen.