By Sean Cortes
On Nov. 18, the Undergraduate Student Government (USG) at Stony Brook passed one of the lamest resolutions. All these semesters, these wannabe politicians were butchering about bringing new changes to the new club funding process. The only change I found was the addition of 800 signatures by the student body to be eligible for the funding.
The other changes were not surprising at all. In their usual fashion of promoting nepotism, the VP clubs was empowered to rule out and in new clubs.
This took a total of three months for the student activity fee sponsored mafia to literally make no changes. I question why would they stall the new club funding when they were not doing anything really. And with all honesty, I do not find any logical explanation for the addition of some x amount of signatures.
The mafia is condescendingly ruling the empire as their own little thing. These patrons are exploiting the fee we did not even agree to pay in the first place for their own personal benefits.
The USG should be brought down and tore into pieces in my humble opinion. They have continuously failed to address any of the issues brought by the student body. The only reason they exist today is because a majority of students are ignorant of their existence. I think there is a deliberate need of educating the students about the exploitation of their donations. This is the reason I write today, for the purpose of opening minds.
Anonymous • Dec 5, 2010 at 1:06 pm
YOUR STUDENT ACTIVITY FEES AT WORK!
USG wants to raise the activity fee for full-time students by $5.75(prorated for part-time) a semester BECAUSE:
The USG Senate finds that—
1. The number of clubs funded by the Undergraduate Student Government has risen tremendously since the last fee increase over four years ago;
2. Stony Brook University is undergoing a period of prosperity, with innovative student leadership making dramatic changes to the undergraduate experience however, they lack the financial support necessary; and
3. With an unprecedented budget crisis, the University Administration is increasingly relying on the Undergraduate Student Government to supplement, in part and sometimes in full, funding for Stony Brook traditions and services that previously have been funded by the Administration.
http://sbusg.org/files/2010/09/Referendum-to-raise-the-SAF.pdf
Did you know that USG wants to use $60,216.57 for renovations of the two commuter common areas in the SAC? If they go forward with this, these two spaces will be now called: the “Undergraduate Student Government Commuter Commons.” GSO has commuter students, so why were they excluded from contributing to this RENOVATION?
So, the University Administration is increasingly relying on the Undergraduate Student Government for funding traditions and services. Since when was it a tradition or service that the undergraduate student activity fee should be used to pay for the renovation of building space?
Here is the link to that Appropriations Act which is under USG’s website for PENDING LEGISLATURE:
http://sbusg.org/files/2010/09/Apropriation-Act-2.pdf
The sum of $60,216.57 is hereby appropriated to the “Undergraduate Student Government Commuter Commons” fund for the purposes of renovating the SAC
Commuter Commons.
So, USG doesn’t have enough money to support the increase of clubs, but they have money to renovate two rooms in the SAC.
What incentive do the students have to fundraise, when USG just wants to increase the activity fee while they still continue to be fiscally irresponsible?
The Statesman should do another poll and see how many undergraduate students support using $60,000.00 of the UNDERGRADUATE student activity fee money for this renovation.
Knowledge is power and the students need to be better informed by those who are being paid to represent them.
Tell USG to stop picking your pockets and let the University Administration know that USG is not going to be their ATM during this budget crisis.
USG seems to forget what its true mission is:
TO OPERATE THE UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT GOVERNMENT AND MANAGE VARIOUS SERVICES AND ACTIVITIES FOR UNDERGRADUATE CLUBS AND PROGRAMS AT THE STONY BROOK UNIVERSITY.
Note: Those managed services are: Events Management, SSC, SAB/SPA, the USG Ticket Office and Audio Visual Services and they DO NOT include building renovations!