After denying two student organizations eligibility to student funding for the 2003-'04 school year, the Student Services Finance Committee is receiving both criticism and support.
Thus far SSFC has reviewed six student organizations and denied financial eligibility to two'MECHA, a Chicano student organization, and Diversity Education Staff, which seeks to improve campus climate through diversity education.
Both were denied funding on the grounds that they did not meet certain criteria required of student-funded organizations. SSFC committee members were concerned, for example, that MECHA did not make all students feel welcome to their organization. SSFC also questioned if DES services overlap with services already offered by the Multicultural Student Coalition.
SSFC member Aaron Werner said despite accusations of bias, SSFC was viewpoint neutral.
\It's not about whether I like these groups,"" he said. ""They broke ASM bylaws and you automatically have to say no; accountability is the most important part when dealing with students' money.""
But SSFC member Faith Kurtyka said she is concerned a few members on the committee may not be viewpoint neutral.
Multicultural Student Coalition chair Theresa Vidaurri said she was disappointed by SSFC's decision to cut DES funding.
""This decision is very detrimental to our program as a whole and to diversity education on campus,"" she said.
Vidaurri said she was concerned MECHA and DES were denied eligibility because they are diversity organizations.
""They're holding our organizations to these whole different standards than other organizations and that's very apparent in their decisions,"" she said.
Werner said, however, that SSFC's decisions had nothing to do with the organizations' ideologies.
""It just happened that the first two organizations to get cut were diversity groups,"" he said. ""If SAFERide would have violated ASM bylaws, unfortunately they would have been cut too.""
New Dean of Students Luoluo Hong said she thought it was fair for ASM to establish guidelines for student organizations but that SSFC should be sure its criteria are clearly defined and equally applied.
""The bottom line is that this is a process that students implemented and it is students' fees, so students should have the input,"" Hong said. ""These two organizations have every right to appeal SSFC's decision and SSFC has every right to enforce their decision if they can justify it.""
""I want to emphasize that I support and am committed to the process of students allocating fees,"" Hong said. ""I've seen student run processes work, and I know that they can work.""
