Senate, the buck stops here
When we come to the close of anything, be it a semester, a career, or a life chapter, we typically like it to be remarkable. We don’t want to follow T.S. Eliot’s sentiments, choosing to go out with a bang rather than a whimper. The last Senate meeting of the 2018-2019 school year did just that, but when the smoke settled all that was left is distraught backfire.
By the time Senate’s meeting ended last Monday a lot happened, but here are some of the highlights:
Phi Beta Lambda was allocated around $6,000 for a national conference trip to Texas, flight included.
Senate allocated a tentative $50,000 for a Spring Daze concert next spring
The library’s food pantry received only half ($500) of their request to fund an initiative for hungry students.
Both Band and Choir’s budgets were cut over 80 percent, leaving confusion as to where funding will come from to pay for sheet music.
This is a watered-down version of the hour and 40 minute meeting, but when we crunch the numbers nearly $60,000 was dealt with in a single meeting. Though the number is an enormous sum, we balk not at the amount but at the underhanded process Senate followed when allocating or denying the funds.
Firstly, Senate’s voting notification is spotty at best. For Band and Choir’s budgets, only a select few were notified that Senate were voting on their budgets that night. Some found out only minutes ahead of the meeting, meaning the vast majority was in the dark. Denying a group’s right to represent and advocate for their funding is unethical, especially when their budgets are being drastically cut.
Secondly, Senate spent a lengthy time debating Band and Choir’s budgets and the proper uses of student fees, but had no problem footing the bill for a $50,000 concert they may open to the public. For a group so concerned about CSC student fees being used by mainly CSC students, this seems like a contradiction.
Thirdly, for a group that takes pride in funding “matters of substance,” cutting funding to initiatives like the library food pantry but funding frivolous concerts shows considerable lack of understanding.
Though these questionable practices have gone on longer than the current Senate, it’s high time they end. Students need to know not only where their fees are going but also how they’re getting allocated. For this, the solution is simple: follow Nebraska’s open meeting laws.
Nebraska’s Open Meetings Act is only 14 pages and can be found in a few keystrokes, but the most important matter is found on page one. According to the act, “Every meeting of a public body shall be open to the public in order that citizens may exercise their democratic privilege of attending and speaking at meetings of public bodies, except as otherwise provided by the Constitution of Nebraska, federal statutes, and the Open Meetings Act.” The basic tenets include giving the public advance notice for a meeting, publicizing the agenda in advance and presenting meeting minutes within 10 days of a meeting, all of which are easy to follow and take little to no added effort.
Some may claim that because they are a student government organization we shouldn’t go as hard on them, but the reality is this: if someone is tasked with spending public funds, whether it’s $10 or $10,000, they need to be held accountable to the same standards we hold elected officials to. Giving clubs a fair chance when dealing out funds should be a top priority. By having student government meetings as transparent as possible clubs have the chance to advocate for their funding, a necessary step in government. Because students constitute clubs, all active clubs should get a fair share of students fees.
It’s time to step up and demand better from our student government. If we’ve placed these peers in power it’s in our purview to monitor how they’re spending our money, especially when they’re affecting the vitality of departmental programs and essential clubs for the CSC campus.