University of Virginia Library

Colloquium

Who Gets The Money?

By TOM SANSONETTI

(Mr. Sansonetti, a
second-year Graduate Business
student, is a representative to
the Student Council–Ed.)

On Wednesday and
Thursday of this week students
will have an opportunity to
close a loophole that presently
allows funding for groups
purporting to represent the
entire University on matters of
political legislation.

The referendum proposes:
"That Student Council shall be
prohibited from disbursing
funds collected from
mandatory student fees to any
organization or publication
which takes a stand on political
issues or which undertakes to
effect political change."

It is important to note that
the scope of this referendum
cannot apply to organizations
and publications that obtain
their funding by going through
Council's O&P Committee (i.e.
Gay Student Union, Virginia
Law Weekly, Black Student
Alliance, etc.) nor The Cavalier
Daily whose budget comes
straight from the Student
Activities Committee.
Council's O&P Committee
already has the strictures
preventing the funding of
groups deemed social or
political. Consequently, the
predominant orientation of the
groups O&P funds must be
other than social or political.

However, this semester
Student Council as a body has
seen fit to pay over $300 in
membership dues to affiliate
the University of Virginia with
the National Student
Association and the National
Student Lobby. Neither group
has gone through O&P. How
then can these groups receive
funds? The answer is Student
Council's private budget.
Twelve dollars taken from each
student's comprehensive fee
makes up the $140,000-plus
pot that the Student Activities
Committee divides mainly
between The Cavalier Daily,
O&P Committee, and Student
Council's own budget.

The groups mentioned were
brought before the entire
Student Council at their
regular Tuesday meetings
(rather than through O&P) and
by three vote margins given the
money in question. It is
expected that other
organizations like the Young
Americans For Freedom and
offshoots of the Young
Democrats and Young
Republicans will use these
legitimizing precedents to also
obtain funding next semester.

Formerly funded by the
CIA, the National Student
Association has taken strong
stands on U.S. foreign policy.
Residing in Washington, D.C.,
the National Student Lobby
goes directly to senators and
congressmen to represent its
members in lobbying efforts
for or against a variety of
pending legislation such as the
SST, the Cannikan Blast, and
Vietnam. Mind that these are
not an On-Ground club's or
editorial writer's opinions, but
the University of Virginia's
position on these legislative
concerns.

Whether or not the stands
(pro or con) and activities of
these groups are palatable to
the individual student is not
the issue here. The heart of the
matter is: should any such
group be funded?It is not for
me as a Student Council
member to determine the
worth of one political group
versus the services and benefits
of another, regardless of
whether it is the YAF or the
NSL. A student's political
views are his own. If a student
feels strongly enough on a
particular matter then he, as an
individual should strive to
ensure its success. Considering
the diverse opinions on the
Grounds, it should not be
proper for the University to
take a stand in sundry political
arenas.

With the continuing unrest
and contention over the
allocation of the Student
Activities Fee, Student Council
is in desperate need of more
structural guidelines for
disbursing your $12.
Help provide one of those
guidelines by giving this week's
referendum your affirmative
vote.