NAACP, BSA protest budgeting

Groups argue SGA committee's decision to revoke front-end budget status

MATT CARASELLA / senior photographer SGA President Levar Stoney speaks to group supporters.

NAACP and the Black Student Alliance face elimination as front-end budgeted organizations by the Student Government Association after the SGA Finance Committee Thursday night voted to cut them.

After more than 70 concerned members packed the halls of the library to attend the committee's meeting, the full SGA senate will vote tomorrow night on whether or not to continue the groups' FEB status.

In addition to JMU's National Association for the Advanced of Colored People and BSA, the other seven organizations that are funded on the front-end by SGA with student fee funds are: Campus Assault ResponsE, Panhellenic Council, InterFraternity Council, Student Ambassadors, SGA, University Program Board and Sports Club Council.

"This is SGA's biannual review of front-end budgeted organizations," SGA President Levar Stoney said. "Each FEB has a chance to say how they're still in line with their mission statement."

By being front-end budgeted, student groups have large line-item budgets guaranteed for the following fiscal year. Other non-FEB groups are limited to receiving no more than $4,000 throughout the year from SGA's contingency account.

After holding an emergency meeting Wednesday night, NAACP leaders sent a mass e-mail to supporters about Thursday night's finance committee meeting. "Everybody sent the word out fairly quickly," senior Shawn Harris, a member of NAACP, said. "We just wanted to make sure we had a fair shot and a fair chance like everyone else."

One member of the finance committee, junior Bellamy Brown, voted to approve the FEB status of NAACP, while three members voted against it — junior Glenn Bukowski, sophomore Wesley Hedgepeth and sophomore Melissa Laughner. Seniors Joe Hill and Mary Beth James and junior committee chairman Mike Goodman did not vote.

Brown, Hill and James voted to continue BSA's funding, while Laughner, Bukowski, Hedgepeth and Goodman voted to revoke its FEB status.

The hearings for the first seven clubs ran smoothly, with few club members attending the meeting and the committee voting to continue their FEB status. In addition to the NAACP hearing drawing 70 club supporters, several SGA members spoke against the two groups.

"If they do not affect the majority of campus," senior senator Jeff Burke told the committee, "then I do not believe they have the qualifications to continue as a FEB group."

Only 17 members of each organization were allowed into the library conference room for the closed meeting, leaving more than 50 supporters in the halls. "They should've had it in a bigger facility," Harris said. "Everybody was under the impression that everybody would be able to speak. We're here for support anyway, even if we can't be in there."

Sophomore Gina Rojas said, "I think that the show of minorities today proves to JMU that even though we're small in number, we're strong in might."

According to Stoney, "It was great to see supporters out for NAACP and BSA. It's good to see how important these organizations are to the community, by the turnout."

Tuesday night's meeting will be held in Taylor 202, the usual meeting place of the SGA senate. In order for the senate to deny the groups funding, a two-thirds vote is required to pass the committee's recommendations. "I don't see it passing," Goodman said, "because two-thirds is a pretty tough measure."

Rojas said, "If they decide to vote [against NAACP and BSA], there will be a revolution. You don't take away from the little people."

To earn FEB status and maintain it, a group has to meet four criteria, according to Goodman. He said the organization must have a campus-wide impact. The impact of the group must be important, necessary and not already be provided by another FEB group or university department. The group must need to be budgeted on the front-end, as opposed to throughout the year. And the impact of the group must be wide and necessary.

Chartered in 1986, JMU's chapter of NAACP has about 30 to 40 regular attendees at its meetings, according to senior Wendy Chambliss, club treasurer. Its yearly funding allocation is about $10,000, according to Goodman.

NAACP has had FEB status for the last four years, according to Karen Mercer, assistant director of the University and College Centers.

Sophomore Olayinka Majekodunmi, second vice president of NAACP, said, "It would be very, very, very hard for the NAACP to function if we're not front-end budgeted."

In BSA, which has the motto "Unity is Strength," about 20 members participate in weekly events, according to club president Amanda Claytor, a senior. Goodman said its current fiscal year allocation is $22,481.

While SGA's constitution requires the biannual review of all FEB groups, the committee hearings in 2000 went smoothly, with each group being confirmed. "Two years ago it was in a fairly informal manner," Goodman said. In addition to having "a more conservative committee this year," Goodman attributed the differing results to senators and representatives coming in and speaking.

Junior Michael Tinsley, a leader in NAACP, said he was disappointed with the proceedings, but still confident in the group pulling through. He said, "JMU's black community, although we may be few in number, we stick together."