Dugba

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Director of University, Governmental, and Budgetary Affairs (or DUGBA) was the lobbyist for the Academic Assembly of the Associated Students of Michigan State University until the position was eliminated in April 2006. The two new positions created to replace the DUGBA were the Director of Education Policy (DEP) and the Director of University Budgets (DUB). As the only member of the Academic Assembly's staff, the DUGBA worked closely with the Student Assembly's lobbyists, collectively known as the Executive Staff.

The DUGBA was originally called the "Director of University Governmental Budgetary Affairs" (Note the lack of commas). His/her job was to lobby solely on University-Governmental-Budgetary Affairs, (i.e. state appropriations.) In 2000. The commas and the word "and" were added to allow the DUGBA to lobby on university affairs, governmental affairs, and budgetary affairs. While this gave the Academic Assembly more power, the Student Assembly E-Staff complained that the DUGBA was stepping on their toes. An informal entente was reached where the DUGBA specialized in lobbying on budgetary affairs unless collaborating with the E-Staff. In the 14th Session of Academic Assembly, it was decided that the position was unsustainable and too vague, and with the passage of a tax increase by the MSU student body, the powers of the DUGBA were given to the more specific DEP and DUB.

The acronym DUGBA was originally pronounced DOOG-buh. To fan the flames of the rivalry, the Student Assembly members started pronouncing it DUHG-bah in the year 2000. This infuriated many members of Academic Assembly at first, but somehow ended up sticking. As of the year 2005 DUHG-buh is considered proper, and DOOG-buh is deemed archaic.

The word DUGBA also inspired ASMSU to adopt similar acronyms for other positions, such as the DREPSA (Director of Racial, Ethnic, and Progressive Student Affairs), the DOTWA (Director Of Technology and Web Affairs), the DOCA (Director Of Community Affairs), and the DOLA (Director Of Legislative Affairs) None of these names stuck, with the exception of DREPSA.

[edit] Place in Academic Assembly Structure

The DUGBA reported to the Academic Assembly External Vice Chairperson, as do the DEP and DUB. The DUGBA worked closely with Student Assembly's lobbyists, the Executive Staff.

Academic Assembly
Academic Assembly Chair
$\downarrow$	$\downarrow$
Internal Vice Chair	External Vice Chair
	DUGBA	$\rightarrow$	Student Assembly Executive Staff
			Legislative Affairs	Community Affiars