Singers to stick with accounts

A cappella group leaders said yesterday that they will keep depositing part of their revenues in off-campus accounts -- accounts which go against Student Activities Council policy. And leaders added that if SAC decides to cut future a cappella funding, they would be more likely to use the non-sanctioned accounts. Fran Walker, the director of the office of student life and SAC's new advisor, said the a cappella groups are violating University regulations, which require all SAC members to use SAC accounts. "Official policy is that all groups deposit their revenue in their SAC accounts," Walker said. "There is a history behind this policy." "In the past, groups who have raised a lot of money have not always reported the amount accurately to SAC," Walker said, adding that she knows of no current groups who have reported false revenue figures. Mike Phillips, president of the a cappella group Pennsylvania 6-5000, said the group has been honest about its budget. "We outlined for them everything that we spend," Phillips said. "We were totally up front -- we didn't mess with any of the numbers." SAC decided last month to revoke funding for a cappella groups until the general body votes on the issue again at its at February 22 meeting. A cappella group members said that both the SAC banking policy and the recent decision to revoke funds are unfair. "It's ten times easier for us [not to use the SAC accounts]," said Phillips, a College junior. "If SAC is not going to be funding us, we might as well take care of it ourselves." Counterparts President Sean Aherne said his group will also continue its present accounting practices, "especially seeing that we will be getting no funding from SAC." But SAC Finance Chairperson Michael Graves said he hopes the groups will eventually comply with the SAC regulations. "When people decide they're special," College sophomore Graves said, "everyone ends up breaking the rules and you end up not having an organization." Phillips said he thinks the a cappella issue is not a question of the groups' accounting, but rather the possibility of SAC halting all grants. "Obviously, the kind of money we generate is intimidating," Phillips said. Penn--Six reported revenues of $11,700 last year. But Phillips said the lack of SAC funding could lead to a ticket price increase. "From my perspective, everything that we spend is making us a better group," said Phillips, adding that SAC money helps the group get started for the fall semester. "It's a springboard to help us put out a show; if it's taken away, we'll have to come up for it some other way. It might mean a raise in ticket prices." Aherne, a College junior, said Counterparts might also experience some troubles. "They have cut our funding for the semester," Aherne said. "Most of the groups are not gong to be SAC-funded [next year]. This semester we have to pay for everything."