Spreading the Funds Around

Since student group wants consistently outweighfunding available to them, distributing money isoften an arduous task, and student governments areoften the target of sharp criticism.

Matthew R. Rothman, president of Yale CollegeStudent Union, a group that brings speakers tocampus, says his group needs at least $900 tobring in one speaker, so Yale's limit of $1,000 ayear is not nearly enough. Despite this, he says,the UOFC did not give the group the full $1,000.

"I think the [funding] process is quitearbitrary," Rothman says. "Their decisions aren'tconsistent for the same items for differentorganizations."

Rothman adds that the process of applicationfor the $1,000 is very rigorous.

Naftalis defends the UOFC's process. "I thinkit works well," he says, adding that the UOFCenjoys a close relationship with the UniversityAdministration.

Yale has a dean of undergraduate organizationswho helps choose UOFC board members, offersadvice, and handles the Committee's paperwork.

"The Dean helps us by giving us aninstitutional memory, a different perspective, andlegitimacy with student groups," Naftalis said."We're still autonomous and they can't overruleus, but we get the advantages of being in theDean's office."

But one disadvantage of being so closelyconnected to the university, Naftalis says, isthat the students do not determine the amount ofmoney the administration doles out.

"It becomes difficult to estimate how muchwe'll get from year to year, and that makes ithard to have long-range plans," he said.

Washington University's distribution of fundsis student-directed but that hasn't spared themfrom criticism.

The university's Student Union (SU) got intohot water a two years ago when their EntertainmentCommittee organized a reduced-fare bus trip to NewOrleans with SU funds and then sold all thetickets to their friends and acquaintances beforeadvertising the trip to the whole student body.

"It appeared they were literally andfiguratively taking us all for a ride," Steffensays. "We eventually made them hire another busfor other students and this year we made themcharge students full price."

Communication is the Key

In an attempt to improve their funding system,Washington University's Student Union increasedthe number of times student groups can apply forfunding from once a year to once a semester.