Student groups will no longer be allowed to spend student fees on pizza for late-night planning sessions or small thank-you gifts for University employees following a change to the rules that oversee student government. The rule changes, which
affect how groups handle food expenses, gifts and receipts of donations, may alter
the way many groups spend their money.
Under the new rules, groups are forbidden from giving any gifts or scholarships
to employees of the Oregon University System, including student employees.
“Every group is going to have to follow them,” ASUO Controller Carie Henderson said of the rule changes. “Every group has had the ability to buy food or gifts in the past and they will no longer be able to do that.”
Another change prohibits groups from spending incidental fees on food for
internal program meetings, although they can still buy food for inter-departmental or institutional meetings.
Groups can also open trust funds to store fund-raising proceeds and use that money for future food and gifts purchases, Lynn Giordano, accountant for the ASUO said. The groups can then spend that money as they please.
It remains unclear how much student money was incorrectly spent using the old student government guidelines, although Giordano said violations occurred “across the board” among programs.
The changes came after the ASUO Controllers Office realized in July that student government policies, contained within a manual called the Green Tape Notebook, conflicted with Oregon University System rules, according to an e-mail Giordano sent to student groups. The University’s business office sent an invoice for a thank-you gift back to the controllers, prompting the realization.
“It was not known that fund-raising accounts fell under the same rules,”
Giordano said.
Summer Student Senate President Sara Hamilton said the Senate agenda for Wednesday includes a presentation by Giordano about the recommended changes.
Jean Sun, EMU business manager, said the Green Tape Notebook is updated every year. Sun said she hopes this year’s revisions will reflect the changes in the way money from ASUO accounts may be spent and new guidelines for ASUO controllers to evaluate spending in trust accounts.
One suggestion that may be presented to the Senate is adding wording to the Green Tape Notebook that will more clearly define how money in the different spending accounts may be appropriated.
Last April, then-Student Senator Dallas Brown filed a grievance with the ASUO regarding the use of student funds to provide book scholarships through
the ASUO Women’s Center. Then-ASUO Programs
Administrator David Goward dismissed the complaint because money used to pay
for the scholarships came from fundraising.
None of the scholarship recipients was a University employee, group spokeswoman Brittnee Gregory said.
“The updated policy wasn’t a direct result of the scholarships we gave out,” Gregory said.
Goward said the Senate and ASUO Executive “were aware that no gifts could be given to employees” at the time.
Giordano said that the group’s future book scholarships, should they be awarded to a University employee, may still come from the group’s trust account.
Student groups not funded through the ASUO may visit the ASUO office in the EMU for free advice on setting up trust accounts.
Contact the federal and
campus politics reporter at [email protected]
Changes affect group spending
Daily Emerald
September 25, 2006
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