It is astonishing that — over the course of just two years, from 2008 to 2010 — the reserve fund of the Student Activities Council has declined an incredible 75 percent.
There have been opportunities in the past to staunch these losses. A former SAC Executive Board saw a 50-percent decrease in the reserve fund from 2008 to 2009, but continued to dip into the fund. Instead of reforming its budget process to ensure the future stability of funding for student groups, it continued overallocating.
Although there are admittedly a number of factors that led to the current financial strain — including large increases in demand for funding — it is ultimately SAC’s duty to maintain its own treasury. The fact that its finances are in such a sorry state that it was compelled to institute a moratorium on new-group funding demonstrates a lack of responsibility.
SAC must recognize that the almost $900,000 it receives is substantial, and it must end unwise spending practices. It must consider the impact that excess allocation has on a variety of groups — new student organizations who will now be unable to receive support this semester, other student-government organizations whose unspent money is spent by SAC and the student body at large — whose general fees fund student activities.
Moving forward, we hope that SAC takes seriously the significance of its budget decisions and finds a way to introduce more accountability into the process.
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