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November 2, 2004

 

South of the Border

Last November, ASUAF sent seven officials to the SDSU Leadership Institute Conference in San Diego. The conference took only three days, but according to Sen. Joe Blanchard, it was a "bad idea to begin with."

ASUAF spent over $4,000 of student funds for hotels, flights and conference fees, but many skipped workshops, Blanchard said, complaining about the conference. Workshops were disappointing because they were focused at community college issues and one centered almost entirely around a presenter's "racist rant," said Blanchard.

When the conference ended, the senate then skipped the border to Mexico for a few days. The vacation was financed with their personal money, Blanchard said, but he estimated they saved 90 percent of the normal costs because they were already in California.

"We [ASUAF] almost paid for them to go on a trip to Mexico," he said.

On the way home, their flight was delayed, grounding them in Seattle. Although they could have left on a later flight, he said, H.B. Telling suggested the group stay for a day.

They did.

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