Through Murky Waters: Right budget moves by SGA
NAACP, Madison Equality get front-end budgeted
By Alex Sirney, senior writer
Posted on November 9, 2006

Despite what looked to be a contentious evening in the SGA Senate meeting Tuesday, the senate chose to act responsibly and overwhelmingly approved for front-end budgeting status for two student groups.

The JMU chapter of the NAACP was threatened with a bill that would have revoked its status as one of only nine FEB groups — that is, a group that receives its money from SGA at the beginning of the fiscal year rather than on a contingency basis during it. The motives behind this bill were ostensibly because of a poor initial presentation by the NAACP before the finance committee, but passing the bill would have been an irrational and harmful abuse of the power SGA wields.

Before the meeting, NAACP President Jerrine Lee said that she was going to do her best to show how much the NAACP impacts campus, and she, with treasurer Stephanie Reese, did just that. The report adequately addressed all the FEB criteria in its presentation and its reputation on campus should have preceded it into the senate chamber.

The impact of the NAACP was briefly and hotly debated, despite sophomore class Vice-President Jeff Watson’s statement that the bill was not about impact, but about funding. While true, one of the criteria of FEB groups is that they have a “far-reaching impact,” according to the SGA constitution. The impact was debated by Ashby Hall senator Sarah Piñeres, but mercifully, the senate was apparently more moved by comments such as those from College of Arts and Letters senator Dan Stana that “For [the SGA] to cut funding is almost an oxymoron… our mission statements [in regard to diversity] are almost identical. If we cut [NAACP] funding, should we not cut funding to ourselves?” His observations are correct and the vote was overwhelming.

The SGA also overwhelmingly voted to add Madison Equality as the 10th FEB group and first in at least the last four years, SGA Treasurer Robert Burden said. The group is well-deserving, but the three people who spoke in debate — all in favor — contrasts sharply with the reception the NAACP received when both organizations made similar presentations.

The SGA made two good moves in approving these two groups and should take a lesson from the proceedings — the SGA’s role is not to act as a bureaucratic hindrance to student organizations, but rather as an aid for valuable organizations on campus. If the SGA continues in the spirit of its voting Tuesday night, it will prove that it has learned this lesson.

Alex Sirney is a senior anthropology and SMAD major.