In the October 4 edition of The College Voice, Lilah Raptopoulos, Editor-in-chief, argues for a new approach to student club/organization funding and suggests the need for changes to the way in which (at least some of) these groups are developed, managed and funded. The primary point of her letter, as I read it, is that duplication among various student groups hurts the overall success of all groups – in particular when it comes to each group’s ability to secure adequate funding from SGA.
Ms. Raptopoulos speaks to a national trend: over the past decade colleges and universities across the nation have experienced ever-increasing numbers of student clubs and organizations. In 2008-2009 the NASPA (Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education) Assessment & Knowledge Consortium conducted a study of campus activities programs. Sixty percent (60%) of colleges and universities nationwide reported notable increases in the number of student organizations present on campus over the preceding two years.
Newly emerging groups have increasingly narrow purposes and audiences. Often these same groups are short-lived and have limited impact. This is due in part to their inability to survive when forced to compete with more well-developed student groups for limited resources.
Ms. Raptopoulos had me on her side- her argument was clear, truthful and well-reasoned.
Unfortunately she went on to include in her argument inaccurate information related to the Student Organizations Fund Office (SOFO) and the way in which students are able to handle group finances. Her inaccuracies are misleading and paint an unfair picture of how student group finances are managed day-to-day. These inaccuracies need to be corrected.
SOFO policy does not require any student to make a purchase with personal money and then seek reimbursement although students may choose to do so- and often do. Students are able to request petty cash in advance of making purchases, may seek reimbursement after making a purchase or request payment be made directly to a vendor. And, yes, a receipt is required in order for payment to be processed. However, it is not difficult to acquire a receipt even if it means printing out an order form, which includes the total cost of an online purchase.
There is not a 2-week waiting period for students to receive checks from SOFO. SOFO issues checks twice each week (on Wednesday and Friday mornings). The only reason a check would be delayed is if the student submitting a request for payment did not properly complete the request or failed to provide all necessary information.
Ms. Raptopoulos states: “Last week, I spent $850 of the little money I made this summer to buy apparel the Voice is selling at Harvest Fest. I’m still waiting for SOFO to pay me back.” This is a direct misrepresentation of facts. Ms. Raptopoulos placed and confirmed her order on Friday, September 24. More than a week later on Monday, October 4, she visited SOFO and submitted a request to be reimbursed for the purchase. Her request was processed the very same day and was subsequently printed, signed and mailed to her by Wednesday morning, October 6. If she was waiting longer for reimbursement it was due to her own failure to submit a request sooner than October 4.
I enjoyed reading much of what Ms. Raptopoulos wrote in her letter and agreed with the premise of her position. However, her inclusion of information which is both inaccurate and misleading weakens her argument and undermines the value (and potential positive impact) of her letter overall.
Scott McEver
Director of Student Activities
Read “On Club Collaboration” here.
