$how me the money

For club leaders like Cary Young (’09), of the Platteau, and Laura Horley (’09), of KLC, the only solace to be found in the wake of the 2008-2009 Budget allocations for student organizations was solidarity in complaining. Discouraged by the money their organizations received, or, rather, didn’t receive, they have swiftly begun attempts to change the minds of the members of the Chartering and Budgeting Board (CBB).

For the first time in CBB history, appeals were allowed on Monday that gave group leaders the opportunity to voice complaints. A student-overseen petition is simultaneously in the works but it is not expected that the budget will undergo any changes. The protests stem from a sense on the part of many group leaders that either the application process was unfair or that the money allocated was insufficient. In the case of the Co-Op, whose budget was cut nearly in half, from $2000 to $1140, coordinators Maggie Rounds (’09) and Nick Moen (’11) feel that they are being starved for resources. “We’re not a viable group,” Moen said, “because we don’t have enough money.”

While the Co-op will still be able to stay afloat regardless of this cut in budgeting, there is no possibility for improvement, without ample finances, on what they admit is a run-down space. KLC, who will now need to spend around $7,000 on Sunburn out of the total $9,480 budget allocated to them, expressed similar frustration. Horley feels that their budget is entirely insufficient for covering the technical problems that inevitably arise every year. The CBB does not provide funds for the hypothetical—from a broken record player to new health code requirements—but only for what is clearly listed in the application. “It is hard to predict what will be needed,” Horley said.

Groups like KLC and the Co-Op should feel somewhat privileged, however, since, unlike a handful of clubs, they at least received something. Many groups, including the language clubs, whose charters were revoked and budgets rejected (on the basis that they should be under the auspices of their respective departments) found themselves with no place to start. The Meridian, the LC journal of International Affairs, which just released its 26th annual issue, was denied any funds at all, due to a “lack of student interest.”

Part of the problem, for clubs like the Platteau and Men’s Lacrosse, was either tardiness or improper formatting of their applications. Based on a decision made last year to refuse money to any clubs who did not follow the application guidelines, many organizations were rejected outright without any flexibility. According to Anne Swift (’09), Vice President for Student Organizations, CBB felt obligated to enforce such a strict policy “because before it was somewhat arbitrary in who was punished and who wasn’t and there was a worry that it was based on the board’s personal preferences.” The reason for the abundance of tardy applications was due in part to what several applicants described as a cryptic electronic format that required a version of Adobe available only on school computers.

While Swift recognized that there were problems with the electronic application, she also said that, at a CSOC meeting that was mandatory for all applicants, she warned group leaders of the potential problems.  “We went out of our way to make sure the problems were solved,” she said. Because of the large number of groups who received no funding—19 in all—Activities Congress and the General Allocations Board (GAB) were given a much larger sum than usual, up respectively from $45,700 (2007-8) to $57,500 and from $13,800 to $32,229. This, according to Swift, is a viable resource for clubs who feel they are underfinanced. “We knew that some groups weren’t going to get enough funding so GAB will help,” she said.

While GAB, which is the equivalent of a penny jar for students and organizations looking to request specified funding for events or other needs, does have the resources to distribute needed finances, some group leaders expressed reservations about having to resort to it. “GAB is good for specific events but not practical needs,” Young said. Even if they do respond to basic requests, Horley said, it is simply another inefficient “hoop” that clubs have to jump through to get things done. “I don’t understand why they feel the need to withhold money from us when we’ll eventually just have to come begging for it,” she said.

Complaints aside, it should be noted that many clubs fared better than expected. One such group, the Jewish Student Union (JSU), whose funds were raised from $1,200 to $2,800, expressed their support of the process.  “In our opinion, if people didn’t get money, CBB probably had reasons why not,” said Ely Cohn, co-President of JSU. While many groups share these sentiments, discontent expresses itself much more loudly than satisfaction.

The anger over GAB and Activities Congress’ increase in allocated funds has aroused suspicion of a design to consolidate power within Student Government. Some students even proposed that the overlap of several members of the CBB board with that of Activities Congress and GAB was a motivating factor behind their decisions. This seems improbable, however, as any member of CBB who was in a group being discussed was forced to leave the room. Nonetheless, in the wake of the Homecoming mishap, in which Activities Congress drastically overshot their budget for the dance, many students are wary of the increased control that student government holds over funds.

The current rift between distraught student organizations and student government seems to be a matter of conflicting methods and not necessarily conflicting interests. CBB favors an up front distribution of the minimum funds clubs require, with the later possibility of grants from GAB, as the best way to promote the vitality of these institutions, while groups like KLC, the Platteau, and the Co-Op desire enough guaranteed money to help them not only to subsist but to thrive throughout the year.

Horley claims that there’s a lot at stake for the college in this issue. “If Lewis & Clark wants to attract students,” she said, “then a functioning radio station, newspaper and student-run arts center should be top priorities.”