SAC Exec Board drops the ball

The decision not to revoke funding for a rally that violated conditions set by SAC should be reversed. SAC allocated $200 for the rally on condition that PAN promise not to mention Pennsylvania death row inmate and cause celebre Mumia Abu-Jamal or allow activist Pam Africa to speak. SAC's conditions stemmed from the ostensibly political nature of Abu-Jamal -- a convicted murderer who some believe was unfairly imprisoned for his investigative journalism -- and Africa, who frequently speaks out on Abu-Jamal's behalf. While PAN should not have violated the conditions of the allocation, SAC was wrong to set the conditions on content in the first place. The stated justification -- that the rally's content was political and therefore unfundable under SAC guidelines -- is not supported by the facts. Indeed, SAC's executive board effectively reversed the decision on Monday night, citing the event's non-political nature in a non-binding vote to allow the funding decision to stand. As a non-profit organization, all SAC needs to do under federal statutes is deny funding to groups advocating for legislation or supporting a political party, candidate or office holder. Those are also the only standards they should use. Attempts to restrict funding for anything other than explicitly political groups -- such as College Democrats and Republicans -- raises troubling free speech issues and should be avoided. But the SAC Executive Board was wrong to decide that the only issue was whether the event was overtly political. There is another, more important issue at stake: Student groups must be truthful in their funding requests. PAN lied about their plans for the rally. The funds were allocated under false pretenses, and ought to be returned to SAC. Furthermore, PAN should be put on probation for their malfeasance, and warned that any future violations will result in a suspension of SAC funding for the group. This is not about politics. It is about trust.