SAC cuts IAA's funding by 96 percent

Although the International Affairs Association asked the Student Activities Council for a budget of more than $26,000 this year, SAC only allocated the group $961, according to SAC Chairperson Paul Wilder. This is approximately four percent of last year's IAA grant, which totalled over $23,000. Wilder, an Engineering junior, explained that the $961 includes $533 for office expenses, $292 for printing and duplication and $136 for publicity and advertising. Wilder said these are the areas SAC usually funds for all groups. According to Wilder, the cut occurred because of the IAA's outside fund raising. Under the new SAC constitution passed in February, a group may raise outside funds totaling up to 200 percent of its annual SAC grant. All outside funds above this 200 percent are then deducted from the following year's grant. Under the previous SAC constitution, SAC groups could not raise as much outside revenue, and groups did not have total control over those funds. College senior and former SAC Chairperson Graham Robinson said that change was made in order to encourage groups to pursue outside sources of funding. Wilder explained that at the time, Robinson said 200 percent would be difficult for any group to reach. But last year's IAA raised over $82,559 in outside funding, well more than 200 percent of its $23,000 grant. By strict mathematics, according to Wilder, SAC should actually give the IAA nothing this year, since it raised roughly $40,000 more than it was allowed. This $40,000 should be deducted from the $28,000 the IAA asked for this year, he explained. But IAA President Yousef Master, an Engineering junior, said the SAC Executive Committee's allocation fails to take into IAA costs into account. Master explained that the profits came from two programs run by the IAA -- the University of Pennsylvania Model United Nations Conference and the Ivy League Model United Nations Conference -- and totaled $82,559. But the events cost the group $41,595 in expenses, leaving only a $40,963 profit, Master said. He added that the group would then be allowed $47,318 in profit, under the 200 percent rule in the constitution. The constitution does not specify whether the 200 percent rule is supposed to refer to gross revenues from outside sources or to net revenues -- which are revenues minus costs, Master said. He added that he believes student groups should be allowed to deduct expenses, citing performing arts costs as another example. "If an a cappella group makes a CD, they have production costs and to not deduct that would blow them out of the water," Master said. And he explained that while the IAA runs the two Model U.N. conferences as fund raisers, the Office of Student Life recognizes them as separate entities. Master said the IAA will appeal the decision directly to the SAC Executive Committee and then to the body at next week's SAC meeting if necessary. Over the past year, the IAA has been audited four times in response to claims that the organization had misused funds. At February's SAC meeting, the results of the final audit were announced by SAC Finance, vindicating the group from the allegations of wrongdoing.