The Multicultural Student Coalition appealed the student government finance committee’s decision to deny them funding eligibility Thursday.
The Student Services Finance Committee denied MCSC eligibility for funding because the committee said a majority of the group’s time was not spent directly serving students, failing to meet eligibility requirements.
The group appealed SSFC’s ruling, saying the committee violated procedures in reaching the decision.
MCSC Leadership Team Member Althea Miller said SSFC treated MCSC differently than other organizations in the eligibility decision process because of the group’s previous requests for large budgets.
“We have been targeted by SSFC,” Miller said. “We’re radical, historically we have had a large budget that undermines people’s notions of fiscal responsibility.”
Former SSFC Rep. Michael Jackson spoke on behalf of MCSC, saying the SSFC does not have a standardized process for determining what qualifies as a “direct service.”
“Nobody here understands what they need to understand to make this decision,” Jackson said. “Let’s take a step back and figure out what it will take to get to the point where we can make more informed decisions so that you can accurately measure an organization’s information in an unbiased manner.”
But SSFC Chair Sarah Neibart said the committee does have a process for deciding what direct services are.
“We have criteria that establishes what a direct service is, and it is each member’s prerogative to formulate an opinion on if the group’s services meet that criteria,” Neibart said.
Matt Kozlowski, WISPIRG Chair, said other student groups have faced similar problems in past years.
“It’s an ongoing cycle and it won’t end until SSFC decides to make it end,” Kozlowski said. “This is your process, let’s sit down and fix it.”
Despite the voiced opposition to the ruling, Neibart said she stands by the committee’s original decision to deny funding.
Neibart said, “I think MCSC needs to restructure their organization and really hone in on their direct services and devote time to that instead of administrative planning.”
SSFC will make a decision on the appeal next Monday.
