A lot of you may not be clear on what exactly the issue at hand is, or how it affects you as students.  Basically, Student Government is accused of wrongly obtaining the money used to fund the Searchmont trip.  The money was obtained via DFC, or the Discretionary Funding Committee, which is made up mostly of members of Student Government.  The question is really about whether or not this action violates amendments in the Constitution of Students.  

The amendments in question, as translated by the students, state that Student Government should not be allowed to go to the DFC for funding.  DFC funding is obtained due to the SAM Amendment, or the Student Activity and Media Amendment.  The SAM Amendment requires students to pay $35 each year into a fund to be used for activities on campus, and DFC decides which groups get how much money.  It appears as though the original framers of the Constitution of Students did not want Student Government to abuse their power or pull in the DFC to obtain this funding.

John Petkus represented the student body’s interest in the matter.  “I feel it is my duty to represent the students at Lake Superior State University, and I feel they would best be served if there is a resolution to this issue.”    He, like many students, wants clarification on the funding.  It is against student justice for the student body not to know how their money is obtained and spent, especially in a system with no checks and balances.  Petkus also pointed out that the Constitution of Students gives Student Government the second largest amount of funding; students want to know, if this is the case, why more money was necessary.

Students present at the preliminary hearing voiced their concern on getting more time and energy put into clarifying who can and can not go to DFC, as well as how the money is spent.  The students also want a change in how we are notified about the DFC funding.  According to the Constitution of Students, students are to be notified of how the DFC funding is distributed via an advertisement in the Compass; this was not done.  Andrew Barry stated, “As a student, I just want to know what is going on with the money and how it is being used.  One of my greatest concerns is knowing that the intent of the Constitution is interpreted correctly.”

Brandon Zajac, Joe Cantwell, Eric Ciarkowski, and Ashley Brauning were present to represent Student Government.  Student Government basically feels that they are protected under the Constitution of Students, and that they had made the judgment with the student body’s best interest at heart.    They feel that the largest purchase of the year is necessary, due to the fact they are expecting almost 300 students to show up for the Searchmont trip.  Furthermore, the money that was used for the prizes is strictly for the student body; Student Government members can not win them.

Student Government claims they were not aware of the amendment stating they have to put the advertisement in the Compass, nor were they aware they were possibly misinterpreting the Constitution.  They feel they are following it the best they can, and that the leftover money remains with DFC.  The money Student Government was allotted from DFC does not actually leave DFC until after the event has taken place, and at that time, only the amount needed is released.  Brandon Zajac stated, “It is pretty clear when you look at amendments 1.1 and 1.2 that its open-and-shut that Student Government is allowed to go to DFC for funding.”

So what was the decision?  There will be a hearing sometime in the next few weeks to clarify on the record what the Constitution of Students allows in these kinds of cases.  But lets not lose sight of why the funding was obtained.  As Joe Cantwell stated, “It’s a great opportunity to go and do something that is fun and save $50 in the process.”  So go to Searchmont, have fun, and be looking for the hearing!

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