Controversy regarding Student Government spending spurred investigation following the Wednesday night Student Senate meeting. Donald Hodge, Daily Reveille columnist, addressed the Senate with accounting ledgers dating to July 1, 2007. He said SG bylaws stipulate money withdrawn from the SG Initiatives Account must pass Senate approval before an expenditure takes place. After reviewing the figures, Hodge said the account is being abused.
“This is my money, and this is every student on this campus’ money,” Hodge said. “If this continues to happen, I really don’t know if there is any hope for the future.”
Hodge urged the Finance Committee to investigate the matter.
Senate Speaker Colorado Robertson said he cannot explain SG expenditures of $1,271.56 made Dec. 19, 2007. According to an SG ledger, part of the expenses went to LSU Dining Services and Chartwells. Robertson said the legislative branch did not pass any bills this past semester allocating money for the expenditures.
“The money was not allocated by the Senate as stipulated in the Student Government bylaws,” Robertson said.
Robertson said he does not know if the executive branch spent the money or if a Senate college council made the unauthorized expenditures. He said he appreciates Hodge bringing up the issue.
“The biggest problem we have is getting the University to give us a business manager and making sure we have a professional managing the accounts instead of students,” he said.
Sen. Ryan O’Malley, chairman of the Finance Committee, said he plans to look into the matter.
During Public Input, Patrick Esfeller, disaster science and management junior, criticized the Senate for their response to a concerned student who came before them during this past week’s Wednesday meeting.
“If a student approaches you with a problem, it’s your responsibility to help them with that problem or to find someone who can help them” Esfeller said.
Esfeller said people do not care about SG, because SG does not care about them.
Earlier in the meeting, Robertson said a student appointment to the Student Required Fee Committee will be postponed until next week. He first announced the available position Feb. 27, the same day political science junior Ford Athmann relinquished his duties as a student representative.
During new business, Sen. Amanda Gammon, college of Arts and Sciences, introduced a resolution requesting the Office of Parking, Traffic and Transportation change Easy Streets access times. The resolution was referred to the committee on Housing, Infrastructure and Technology.
Speaker Pro-Temp Ben Clark presented a resolution to provide a referendum before the fall 2008 student body to amend an SG constitution article. The resolution aims to give the Senate speaker authority to appoint senators for college councils that fail to appoint them within 20 days of a vacancy. The resolution was referred to the Committee on Rules.
The Senate introduced a third resolution written by Sen. Drew Prestridge, chairman for the Committee on Governmental Relations. The resolution seeks to appropriate $740 to the Alternative Service Break Club to help defray the cost of a service trip. The resolution was referred to the Finance Committee.
—-Contact Natalie Messina at [email protected]