opinion
On the IFC
The Incidental Fee Committee is in the process of their
annual budget hearings to decide the fate of next year’s
ASUO programs.
The Incidental Fee Committee is also in the middle of a
series of resignations and management turmoil.
Friday Bart Hill resigned as chairer; he will remain as a
member on the committee. Today, Rick Braun resigned from
the committee. This leaves six members without a leader to
determine funding for more than 80 student groups.
Hill’s resignation is a statement on the problems that
fraught the IFC — some personnel and other structural.
To outline the structure: The Incidental Fee Committee
is in charge of the more than $2 million that students pay
each year as fees. The members are elected each year by the
student body. They are responsible for reviewing and deter
mining the budget for various student groups, including the
EMU and the Athletic Department.
Incidental fees were set up to be spent on “activities
that develop physical or cultural aspects of student life,” ac
cording to written IFC guidelines.
The committee determines allocations after receiving
budget recommendations from the ASUO president (who
submits an entire balanced budget) and from recommenda
tions by individual IFC members or "tag persons” based on
their knowledge of each group.
With more than $2 million of the students’ money and
the responsiblility for most of the EMU, the athletic depart
ment, student government and entertainment of the student
body, the IFC needs to be a representative and well
organized group.
Though it appears that most members of the IFC have
worked hard to fulfill their duties, the group is racked by in
ternal conflicts.
The seven members are elected by the 10 percent of the
student body that vote. This translates to a committee of
special interest representatives — not necessarily a bad
thing if they keep in mind that ASUO programs are for the
“associated" student body.
However, this does not seem to be what is happening.
The group has split into two groups: Greeks and Students for
a Progressive Agenda (SPA).
Rick Braun, endorsed by the Greek-law student ticket,
finally stepped down after surviving a vote to dismiss him.
According to Hill, Braun had not kept office hours or fulfilled
his duties for the last three weeks.
Personnel problems have kept the group from working
together — a necessary thing for compromise votes.
With the growth of the number of groups sponsored and
the size of the budget, the committee also has become over
extended.
Braun’s resignation, though good for the cohesion of
the committee, puts that much more burden on the remain
ing six members. The hearings, restarted today, will be under
the temporary direction of Betzy Fry and won’t include
member Jeff Nudelman who is on vacation.
ASUO Pres. C.J. Balfe and the Student University Affairs
Board need to quickly replace Braun for a smooth transition
for the committee and the ability of the group to vote for a
new chairer (contingent upon having seven members).
If the number of funded student groups continues to
grow (four new groups this year), the IFC should increase its
size to nine members. Some members have suggested this
themselves. A larger committee would decrease the power of
individual members, lessen the workload and Increase the
representativeness of the group.
To further increase the stability of the group, the com
mittee should look into the feasibility of a professional
auditor or independent financial whiz to draw up a balanced
budget. This would decrease their dependence on the ASUO
recommendations and increase their diversity of opinion.
Last, but not least, the IFC, needs to adhere to their
original intention of funding groups that are "physical,” such
as the EMU building, and "cultural,” such as University
theatre. These organizations aid the most students.
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Deserving
I must respond to a letter to
the editor published in the
Feb. 1 Emerald. The group that
submitted the letter is ob
viously misinformed and
deserves a rebuttal.
The letter first states the the
Emerald employs a "mostly
non-student administration.”
The Emerald Board of Direc
tors hires all department
heads. These positions are
open to the entire community.
However, the editor's position
must be filled by a student.
Regarding employees, I
work for the Emerald, and I'm a
student. Over 80 percent of the
Emerald's staff are students. I
believe that fact can maintain
our campus-orientated
definition.
I encourage any member of
the group that submitted this
letter to apply for one of the
administrative positions that
is occupied by a non-student
(the positions are open to
students). After you find the
amount of time that the posi
tion requires, I believe that you
will discover the reason that
they are filled primarily by non
students.
Secondly, the letter states
that the Emerald overprints
2,000 issues daily. I think that
just about any student on cam
pus can testify that the only
places you can find Emeralds
after about two o’clock in the
afternoon is on the floor in
various restrooms and
classrooms about campus.
Let me add that your cries
shout advertising rate in
creases are those of a spoiled
brat.
All sanctioned ASUO and
EMU organizations are entitl
ed to a blanket advertising rate
that is lower than the rates the
Emerald offers its most con
sistent commercial
advertisers.
Next, the Emerald's budget
was cut from $92,000 to
$80,000 this year. That’s an
11.6 percent hack. Two
organizations that cosigned
this letter were the ASUO,
MECHa and the Asian
American Student Union.
These two organizations
received only 3.4 and 1.4 per
cent budget slashes
respectively.
We’re in this recession
together; so let's share some
discomfort.
Vinca Brown
senior, Journalism,
English
Resigned
An open letter to C.J. Balfe
Last week the Constitution
Committee of the ASUO ruled
Bart Hill's attempt to remove
me from the Incidental Fee
Committee was illegal. The
Constitution Committee
directed the Incidental Fee
Committee to follow its own
procedure for removal of a
member. Mr. Hill convened the
IFC and moved the committee
to remove me. The committee
declined to do so.
At this writing I am a full
member of the Incidental Fee
Committee. However, it is my
understanding that the deci
sion of the IFC and the Con
stitution Committee aside,
you intend to reopen this en
tire affair personally by in
stituting yet another appeal to
the Constitution Committee to
remove me from office.
Although I am flattered that
the President of the
Associated Students of the
University of Oregon is witling
to devote this much time to
me, I must decline your
invitation.
I talked to Bart Hill a couple
of days after the IFC vote and
we agreed that fences could
be mended and that I would
continue to serve. But I can't
serve very effectively with a
president who says. “If I could
do something about Braun I
would." You might slam a car
door on my hand.
I resign my position on the
IFC effective immediately. I
resign confident that you will
not choose as my replacement
a foreign student, graduate
student, a minority student, a
handicapped student, or a
woman. I have been wrong
before, but you are a pretty
predictable fellow. Prove me
wrong C.J.. Act in good faith.
Rick Braun
Column
I love your new column. It’s
different; it's new; it’s printed
often, and it contains hard
cold facts — I hope.
Your “correction column"
underscores the need for your
reporters to pay attention to
what is going on. Aside from
completely destroying your
credibility as a newspaper that
reports accurately, they are
giving you a bad name.
Dava Lund
Junior, education
letters policy
The Emerald will attempt to print all letters containing fair
comment on topics of interest to the University Community
Letters to the editor must be limited to 250 words, typed,
signed and the identification of the writer must be verified
when the letter is turned into the Emerald Office The Emerald
reserves the right to edit any letter for length, style or content.
"Your turn" is an Emerald opinion feature submitted by
members of the University community. "Your turn" columns
must be limited to 500 words and typed This editorial will not
be edited by the staff, but selection will be based on appro
priateness
Letters to the editor and 'Your turn" columns should be
turned into the Emerald office, Suite 300 EMU
Unsigned editorials apearing in the Eemrald are based
upon the majority opinion of the editorial board