EDITORIAL: Correcting the System

The International AffairsThe International AffairsAssociation's misuse ofThe International AffairsAssociation's misuse ofstudent activities fundingThe International AffairsAssociation's misuse ofstudent activities fundingis indicative of largerThe International AffairsAssociation's misuse ofstudent activities fundingis indicative of largerflaws within student governmentThe International AffairsAssociation's misuse ofstudent activities fundingis indicative of largerflaws within student governmentand the Office of Student Life.The International AffairsAssociation's misuse ofstudent activities fundingis indicative of largerflaws within student governmentand the Office of Student Life._________________________________ The results were telling. They pointed to probable IAA abuses, such as overspending for office expenses and travel, and possibly making personal phone calls from the group's offices. But more importantly, they highlighted inherent flaws within the current system of financial management for student groups. As the system stands now, student groups' financial records are not reconciled until the end of each academic year, leaving months in which discrepancies -- and potential misuse -- go unchecked. And when these records are checked, officials do not look to see if student groups spent their allocated money on the items in their budget -- only that they spent the money within a broad category, such as "office expenses." SAC Chairperson and College senior Graham Robinson said, "I think that groups have the feeling that SAC is a mess right now?so it is possible that some groups are taking advantage of it." We praise the initiative taken by Robinson and SAC to reform the system of funding student groups. The new set of guidelines would charge a much smaller group of people with funding decisions, as opposed to leaving it to the whims of whatever SAC representatives attend a particular meeting. These initiatives can go further, though. Groups should receive monthly statements showing the amount of student activities funding spent on their behalf during a four-week period. If a group then notices discrepancies with their own records, individual problems could be solved as they are presented, instead of once a year. Groups would not be able to claim ignorance of these discrepancies if they were later audited. Monthly statements could also enable SAC and the Office of Student Life to seek explanations for discrepancies or odd spending patterns. In addition, SAC should require groups to provide more detailed receipts for their purchases. A bill for hundreds of dollars for "duplicating" at Kinko's should not be accepted. SAC must have a clearer understanding of what was duplicated and why. Finally, the University should step up and hire additional workers for the OSL, whose job it would be to review group's finances. Even with changes to SAC regulations, effective and efficient monitoring of student funds requires vigilance, which currently cannot be provided because of the sheer workload involved. It is up to students and administrators to push their student government representatives to make changes to the system of financing student groups. If you don't like the way your tuition dollars are being spent, demand change and propose solutions. The IAA audit in and of itself is relatively insignificant. But similar problems probably affect almost all SAC groups. Now that they are evident, curbs must be put in place before additional student money is wasted.