IFC not unique in need for funding

By Delia Herrera

I find it terribly interesting that the Interfraternity Council
has argued it is not being treated fairly in the Undergraduate
Students Association Council’s budgetary funding process
(“Judicial Board rejects IFC’s claim over
funding,” Viewpoint, May 24). It seems clear to me that IFC
has been expecting and demanding special treatment all along. For
some reason, IFC officials believe the rules that apply to everyone
else shouldn’t apply to them. While IFC is entitled to a
speedy hearing, which USAC failed to ensure, it neglected to
address salient concerns regarding the budget.

If IFC wanted more money, why didn’t it spend any of the
funds that were allocated to it? Apparently, it has the luxury not
to spend its budget “in protest.” If IFC doesn’t
need the money, there are plenty of organizations that could use
every cent of it.

I don’t know to what extent this was discussed in the
Judicial Board’s hearing, but my understanding is that IFC is
an organization that collectively represents most of UCLA’s
fraternities. As far as I know, fraternities are not open to
everyone; that’s why they have “rush” to decide
who gets in and who doesn’t. I imagine that most fraternities
are not open to women, not that I know any who would want to join
one. If that is the case, then I have a serious problem with
mandatory student fees going to support the budget of an
organization that reserves the right to exclude students from
membership.

In contrast, it is my understanding that anyone can join any of
the other student organizations that receive base budgets. They may
not want to, but they can. I am in no way opposed to IFC being
funded to put on programming that is open to everyone, but that can
happen through applying to the many funding boards, including USAC
contingency, which operate throughout the year. I don’t know
if IFC officials are aware of the many sources of funding that
exist, but I’m sure their advisor must know.

Another concern of mine is that IFC “taxes” its own
members, according to statements in The Bruin, because USAC does
not give it an adequate base budget. Does that mean that if IFC
received a budget, there would be no membership dues to join a
fraternity? I know a friend who went through sorority rush our
first year and was forced to drop out because it was so
expensive.

She told me that not only did she have to pay dues, but she also
had to buy all the T-shirts, pay for mandatory dances and events
and was “fined” if she missed a certain number of
events or meetings. This is not to say that putting on programs
doesn’t cost a lot, but I don’t know of any other type
of organization that so obviously excludes low-income students.

One solution is to have scholarships for low-income students who
cannot afford to pay the dues required in the Greek system. But if
fraternities were concerned about making their organizations
accessible to everyone, they would address it through fund-raisers
that support the organization as a whole. This way, no one is left
out and no one is a “charity case.”

The benefit of such a policy is that the organization no longer
values members based on how much money they shell out, but instead
on the work they put into the organization. Members grow closer
because they depend on and value each other’s involvement,
instead of mandating it. For example, many of the student
graduations put on by USAC-sponsored groups require that
participants volunteer for fund-raising events as an alternative to
doubling the charge of the ceremony.

Although IFC excludes low-income and working class students by
charging membership dues, it claims that it has a right to
mandatory student fees for its base budget. All students pay these
fees, including the students who can’t be members due to the
exclusive “rush” or an inability to pay the dues. Why
should students who cannot be members, even if they want to, pay
for the base budget with their fees?

Lack of sufficient funding is not unique to IFC; many other
student organizations have been dealing with this for years. In
order to stay open to all students, other groups apply to different
on-campus funding sources and fundraise to support their various
programs. If IFC needs funding to put on educational programs open
to all students, they too should apply to these funding
sources.