TRU United candidate receives Psych club funding

This past Monday, TRU United candidate Jennifer Palma and a fellow Psychology club member presented to the 2009/2010 council requesting $2500.

The money is to help the club, a group of Psychology majors, go to the APS conference in Boston, MA this year, where they will get to see research presentations and meet some major contacts working in the Psychology field.

Both Palma and her partner organized the proposal, which covered many of the questions TRUSU council had.

The club has fundraised on numerous occasions, including a paintball tournament, bake sales, and they also collect membership fees. The two explained to the council that they diligently compared prices for travel and accommodations to ensure the best option for the club.

But one has to wonder, isn't it a conflict of interest for Jennifer Palma to present to a council where four of the members are running under the same slate as her in the current election?

Nathan Lane doesn't think so.

"Just because she's a candidate doesn't mean she can't present," said Nathan Lane, TRUSU executive director. "If she won, she couldn't vote to give money that would directly benefit her."

Dasha Moryakova (Presidential candidate for TRU United) abstained from voting due to a conflict of interest. But, in an interview to follow, she explained that it was because she is the "Signing Authority" for the Psychology club. She said it was not because Palma is on the same slate as her in the election.

The proposals are also due the Friday before the Monday meeting, but a source (who wished not to be named) explained that the Psychology club had decided three weeks ago which club members were to present at the TRUSU council meeting. Jennifer Palma would have had to put in her candidate application a week and a half later. The Psych club had also made the decision as a group. It was not a personal decision for Palma to elect herself to present, the source said.

The TRUSU council voted in favor of giving the Psych club the $2500 (minus Dasha's abstention).