Two Student Senate committees moved to favorably recommend a bill for full Senate consideration, seeking to add legislative oversight to a $44,000 account raised and controlled by the Student Government Executive Staff.
The Rules and Finance committees both held meetings Monday night in the Student Union Council Room. Members of the Executive Staff, including SG President Cassie Alsfeld, attended the Finance meeting to debate the bill.
The SG Corporate Sponsorship Account, designated to be spent by the public body on programs for students, is under the control of the executive branch.
The discussed bill seeks to require Senate approval to use money from the account. If passed, the bill would require an Executive Order and Senate majority approval for the funds to be accessed, more than the signatures of the SG president and Dean of Students K.C. White that are required now.
David Iseral, Finance Committee chairman and author of the bill, said the bill’s goal is to provide a legislative check to the executive branch.
“It’s not a distrust issue. It’s nothing personal. It’s just a matter of principle,” said Iseral, who represents the College of Arts and Sciences.
Alsfeld opposed the bill on the grounds that it would turn the account into a tool for political manipulation.
“This is a great thing for Student Government; this is a great thing for the students,” Alsfeld said. “I’d like to not make this political but make it a service for them.”
Alsfeld said the money was raised to fund SG-sponsored student programs, which fall under the scope of the executive branch.
“Students wanted bigger bands; they wanted bigger programs,” Alsfeld said. “They wanted tangible items that they could see, that they could experience.”
SG Vice President Josh King said the bill would cause unnecessary restrictions and could deny students those programs.
“We already have enough red tape,” King said.
Jesse Cohen, Graduate School senator and Rules Committee vice chairman, said it is standard procedure in corporate governance to install spending controls.
“You always put controls in place anywhere something could go wrong,” Cohen said.
Iseral said he was impressed with the amount of money the Executive Staff raised, but the great size of the account called for legislative oversight.
“We’re talking about $44,000,” Iseral said. “That’s a huge amount of money.”
—–Contact Daniel McBride at [email protected]