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, possibly requiring them to open trust funds.
Under the new rules, groups are forbidden from giving any gifts or scholarships to employees of the Oregon University System, including student employees. Previously, some groups have given out small thank-you gifts to speakers and door and raffle prizes, ASUO Controller Carie Henderson said.
“Every group is going to have to follow them,” 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, such as cultural events organized annually by many groups.
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.
“A trust account is at the discretion of the group, within University guidelines,” Giordano said.
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. She said gift violations were “not all that common.”
The rule 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 a Sept. 12 e-mail Giordano sent to student groups. The University’s business office sent an invoice for a thank-you gift purchased by a group 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 not only the changes in the way money from ASUO accounts may be spent, but also 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]