Amendment widens fund eligibility to more groups

  MIKE CHIEN USAC members discuss an amendment to their
bylaws regarding the allocation of student group funding at
Tuesday’s council meeting in Kerckhoff Hall.

By Scott B. Wong
Daily Bruin Staff

The Undergraduate Students Association Council unanimously
approved amendments to its bylaws Tuesday to help ensure fair and
equitable funding for student groups.

Under the new bylaws, any student group recognized by the
university is eligible to apply for funding from USAC. Previously,
only a select number of USAC-sponsored groups were eligible for
funding.

USAC President Elizabeth Houston said the amendments were a
tremendous gain for the university, as well as a personal victory
for her.

“One of my main platform goals was to evaluate the funding
process and establish safeguards within our governing
documents,” Houston said.

“I am confident that we are in the process of
accomplishing this goal ““ providing equitable and fair
funding guidelines for student organizations and activities,”
she said.

For some council members on the Budget Review Committee, the
amendments may be hard to stomach.

“I think the BRC will have difficulty in trying to deny
funding to groups that traditionally have not received
funding,” said Steve Davey, facilities commissioner.

In previous years, funding has been selectively distributed,
Davey said.

“Student groups that are in line with elected officials
get funding,” Davey said. “Now, student groups have the
same chance regardless of their viewpoints.”

He said he hopes council won’t revert back to the old
system of funding allocation.

“It’s ineffective and lame and only rewards the
student groups that support the Praxis slate or the political party
in power,” he said.

Praxis and its predecessor, Students First!, have controlled the
majority of USAC seats since 1995.

The slate includes the African Student Union, La Familia and
Samahang Pilipino.

Elias Enciso, USAC internal vice president, said allegations the
council is not objective in its distribution of funds are
completely unfounded.

“The budget proposals for some organizations were a lot
larger because they were putting out a lot more programs and
services,” Enciso said.

For the 2000-01 school year, the BRC allocated $8,990 to the
Asian Pacific Coalition, a student advocacy group not associated
with the Praxis slate.

But the amount equalled the allocation granted to ASU and
Samahang, both affiliated with Praxis.

Talks of amending the USAC bylaws were stimulated when U.S.
District Court Judge John C. Shabez reopened the case involving
students from the University of Wisconsin and ruled the
university’s mandatory student fee violated the First
Amendment.

Because funding allocations were determined by elected student
officials, distribution of funds may be indicative of views of the
student majority and may not be content neutral, according to the
ruling.

The University of Wisconsin has until Feb. 14 to present changes
to Shabez, who threatened to eradicate the mandatory student fee if
the university does not comply.

Davey, who sits on the Constitution Review Committee,
interpreted the court ruling to mean the BRC cannot be biased in
its allocation of resources.

“The underlying feature of the (court) warning is we
cannot discriminate based on viewpoints of what people think or
believe,” Davey said.

Prior to the amendment, students only had access to university
office space by applying as a USAC-sponsored group, according to
Jerry Mann, director of student union and student support
services.

To be considered for sponsorship, a group must be recognized by
the university, have a constitution and a sponsor or adviser.

Currently, 21 student groups, including APC and ASU, are
sponsored by USAC and receive university office space, primarily in
Kerckhoff Hall, according to Mann. These are also known as student
advocacy groups.

But revisions in the bylaws now grant eligibility for USAC
sponsorship to more than 400 student organizations, according to
Mann.

“This amendment changes the whole landscape,” he
said.

Campus Events Commissioner Jared Seltzer said it would be
impossible for this many groups to receive office space.

“In order to justify groups having office space, maybe it
could be equated into the allocation process and office space could
be assigned a monetary value,” Seltzer said.

The universal law of supply and demand will allow student groups
fewer resources than what has traditionally been allocated,
according to Mann.

“Basically, the pie has stayed the same,” Mann said.
“We changed the bylaws, but didn’t increase the size of
the pie.”