University clubs will be held accountable for funding, ASUSU says
This year’s Associated Students of Utah State University Executive Council met for the last time Tuesday and after much debate passed a bill making clubs and organizations more accountable for the funding they receive.
The bill, sponsored by Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences Senator Brandon Halford, requests that any club or organization that receives money from the Capital and Support fund must report its spending one month after the event which the money was given for. Clubs and organizations would report to a committee set up by ASUSU. The bill also reads that any leftover money be given back to the fund and if not, the club or organization will be penalized. Penalties could include, but are not limited to, the club losing its CSCO (Council of Student Clubs and Organizations) membership.
However, the bill was not met unopposed nor did it pass on the first vote.
“I don’t agree at all with this bill,” Spencer Taylor, from the College Republicans, said. “People won’t want to return extra money so they’ll just waste it. “
College Republican Tara Stephenson also expressed her concern asking if every penny spent from the Executive Council’s budget is audited and said she feels the money would be better spent being given to the clubs rather than auditing the clubs.
Darrin Humphreys, Science senator, agreed.
“I worry about us giving ASUSU a bad name because we are not audited in the same way,” Humphreys said, “I spent $400 on ice cream this year and no one asked me a thing.”
Brett Thomas, Extension vice president, said he supports the bill because he was on the ad hoc committee that looked into the problem and he feels that there needs to be more “red tape” when receiving extra funds and that clubs and organizations need to be more accountable. Education senator Shelly Ryan also agreed there needs to be a way to check if funds are being spent properly, and added that any ASUSU council member seeking funds would go through the same process.
Nic Gordon, organizations and traditions vice president, said he agrees, but suggested that the penalties be decided by the university’s judicial council and not an ASUSU-made committee.
“Clubs will always need C&S money because CSCO only has $8,000 which is about $44 per club, but there is a better way of handling it,” Gordon said.
The bill failed during the first vote until the council realized that they needed a two-thirds majority vote to end debate and begin the voting process. The council later returned to discussion and voted again and the bill passed.
The Executive Council also passed a bill allotting $1,700 to the National Society of Collegiate Scholars to finish the “Victims of Terror Monument” located on the north side of the George S. Eccles Business building. The monument already includes two trees to symbolize the twin towers, stones on the grass and a granite monument. The society will now finish the monument with two granite benches with “ASUSU 2005” engraved on the sides.
Council members also signed a copy of the Honor Pledge at the request of Academic Vice President Heidi Evans to be hung on the third floor of the Taggart Student Center.
“This will show that we as leaders are committed to making academics a priority,” Evans said.
A bill requiring students to meet with their advisers before their junior year to make sure they are on the right track to graduate was tabled indefinitely and will be left up to next year’s council to follow up on.
Athletics Vice President Jimi Jorgenson proposed the idea that students be put on academic hold if they don’t meet with their advisers as a way of encouraging students to meet with advisers and avoid later graduation difficulties. However, many members of the council voiced their concerns that it was too late in the year to make such a change and that before such a bill is passed all college advisers should be spoken to.
-hilaryi@cc.usu.edu