The Fleecing of Our Student Organizations

On Wednesday night it was announced that the University Administration has looted $150,000 from the Student Activity and Club Sports Fee. As many of you know this is the fee that funds all student organizations on campus as well as CUA's club sports teams. This unprecedented move has $100,000 being given to Campus Ministry, $30,000 to the Office of Campus Activities, and $11,000 to staff the Student Organization Resource Center. I am incredibly perturbed that the university has taken this massive sum from the general fund without any student input or oversight, let alone notification (we were told after the fact).

I am outraged that the University took unilateral action to remove student funds without any oversight by SFAB. This variety of block allocation was a contributing factor to the demise of the former Student Government, USG and threatens to destroy the event-by-event system upon which the Student Association is based. This system works and must be continued and protected from the temptation to take lump sum payments.

Aside from the nearly 25% of the Student Activity Fee which we have been deprived of there is a much greater issue at play here. Constantly CUA talks about developing leaders and a true student voice. Consequential actions such as this that take no account of the student body make the student leaders on this campus wonder if the Administration is simply playing lip service to its stated goal. This move is an incredibly disheartening turn for all those in the student association who have spent countless hours ensuring fiscal discipline and attempting to better CUA. Although SFAB and SAGA are far from perfect institutions they are crucial outlets for students to voice their views. In order to help mold well rounded young adults, the stated goal of this University, the Administration must allow the student body to have ownership over the important decisions associated with the Student Activity Fee.

The great irony in this entire affair is that under the existing rules Campus Ministry, OCA, and the SORC could have applied for funding through SFAB and the students would have still maintained their input. The funds that were removed are now no longer available for use by the other 80 student groups on campus. This extreme lack of tact has created a class system among our student organizations. Those associated with Campus Ministry are suddenly somehow placed above those that are not. Every organization on this campus must have equal access to funding.

We stand now on a slippery slope. This year $150,000 were removed but there are no restrictions on ever larger amounts being removed. Moving forward we must strive to create a formalized methodology for "special removals" of funds from the Student Activity and Club Sports Fee that ensures oversight by the student body. Myself and many of the other Delegates of the General Assembly dedicate ourselves to ensuring that students have some say in how their Student Activity and Clubs Sport Fee is allocated.

This article was published in the September 23rd Edition of the CUA Tower http://bit.ly/cp8dMP