Say no to UA discretionary fund

We are strongly opposed to the proposed creation of a $32,500 discetionary fund controlled by the UA. And so, we call on the Undergraduate Assembly to reject a proposed allocation of $32,500 to UA discretionary fund, precisely because it blatantly ignores that system. In many ways, this latest version of an idea first proposed last year -- then a $30,000 fund for joint IFC-UA activities -- is even more problematic than its predecessor. Making the monies available to all student groups sets a dangerous precedent by circumventing the Student Activities Council, the group charged with the disbursement of funding for student activities. This is troubling for two reasons. First, SAC has mechanisms and safeguards in place that are tested and true. It makes little sense to charge yet another student body with a task that one already performs quite adequately. Equally, the UA-controlled money has the potential to provide funding for some activities on terms unavailable to others. All it takes to tap into the UA fund is a majority vote, and we have real concerns about the objectivity of a majority-Greek board, many of whom ran on a platform calling for the UA to provide funding for the IFC. Certainly, we believe that Penn's various Greek organizations are as entitled to funding as any other group. We simply don't understand why they need a separate process for securing that funding. The fact that the IFC is no longer a SAC-member is duly noted. But that argument is neither here nor there, particularly as the IFC let its membership lapse without protest. It would not be too difficult for the IFC to rejoin SAC as a member group. Indeed the umbrella organization already meets the basic terms, such as the possession of a constitution. And were the IFC to do so, they would be eligible to apply for SAC funding for many of the events -- such as Greek Week -- that they now claim require a separate, UA-operated source of funding. The UA claims that it is working to change its perception as a resource for Greeks only. They would do well to avoid yet another label: that of an organization oblivious to the potential implications of its actions.