I am writing on my own behalf — not for the Programs Finance Committee — and for the students who don’t realize that you’ve misled them in your editorial (“PFC the Cowardly Lion,” ODE, Jan. 26). If you will please do your reading, you will find that the PFC not only has the ability and power to judge the compliance of a program to policy and law, it is our primary responsibility.
Read our bylaws, find a green tape notebook and then go to the Oregon State online legal archives and find all the pertinent laws for spending and funding compliance. After familiarizing yourselves with these rules, then figure out what our mandate is.
The “Cultural and Physical development” clause is for basing the broader decision of a program’s purpose and has nothing to do with the actual details of spending compliance. The editorial seems to be an attack on the very group who decided that the Emerald reduce its dependence on the student fee as stated in its mission and goals statement (unfulfilled for 10 years).
I do not resent your comments, and I hope you know this will not affect your budget process in any way. I do find, however, that the content is more than a little inaccurate. If you would like me to walk you through every step of the entire process in detail, PFC is available in office hours right up the hall from the Emerald. I can also make the time for appointments.
The PFC is not simple, and understanding its depth is not easy. The PFC is a branch of the Student Senate as are all the finance committees. All associated powers of PFC are granted through the ASUO Constitution and the ASUO Student Senate. The bylaws are very precise as to the limitations and breadth of judgment. There are many judgments where PFC has to take into account conformity to rules and laws governing use of funds in ASUO Programs. This is my job.
The Insurgent was no different for me. The discussion of the Insurgent, for me, was not one of censorship, as I see no problem with them printing it. However, there was the opinion that it could have broken state or federal laws. I felt it was best to allow the allocation and then give our elected officials the chance to work this out without threat of missing deadlines for funding. This was the best compromise reachable.
This solution also allows the ASUO Student Senate and ASUO Executive the opportunity to come to resolution between the professors and students to some satisfaction and the release of money. Understand this; the Senate, Jay and Holly now have the ball. They will decide what happens to the Insurgents’ funds and no others.
I am confident in the ability of the Senate and Executive to resolve this issue to everyone’s satisfaction. If you have another idea, feel free to do my job for me (I certainly don’t do it for the relaxation or the money). All suggestions are welcome, but don’t criticize simply because you don’t understand.