In the first day of reviews by the student government’s new Recognition Review Committee, a group that determines whether to recognize student programs and make them eligible for funding, all student groups under review Monday were approved for recognition.
Six of the eight reviewed programs Monday were granted approval contingent on the addition of one or more sections of the ASUO Programs By-Laws template, which outlines ASUO expectations required of student programs. The groups were given ten days to make the required updates and resubmit their bylaws. The RRC is reviewing mission and goals statements, membership, group history and bylaws to ensure that student fee-funded programs are relevant and compatible with ASUO, University and state regulations and that they don’t duplicate University programs and services.
Over the next two weeks, the RRC is deciding whether to approve 36 student programs, a process which grants the programs’ entrance into the Programs Finance Committee hearings, where incidental fees are allocated.
The RRC still doesn’t have bylaws or a formal appeals process.The ASUO Constitution Court ruled last week that the RRC is legitimate, but that the lack of documentation is “egregious” and has an unclear purpose.
ASUO Programs Administrator and RRC Chairman David Goward distributed the bylaws template to two of the groups reviewed Monday, drawing criticism for not distributing it to more of them.
“When it comes to the requirements of Executive recommendations, if they haven’t listed them in their bylaws prior to coming to the RRC, I will give them a call to make sure that they at least” include them, Goward said. “But that’s also a part of the RRC process, to see if those bylaws need to be updated.”
Former Senator Khanh Le said they are “wasting time” by not giving out the template earlier.
“I think it would be great if you could hand this out ahead of time so we would know, and in order to be (transparent) and to understand the process,” Le said. “I think it’s a lack of responsibility that the Exec didn’t do that ahead of time.”
Goward said he will hand out the template at the next Programs Council meeting, which is Nov. 3, the last day of official hearings.
Assault Prevention Shuttle was one of the two groups approved without corrections or amendments.
During the APS hearing, group co-Director Diana Erskine said Goward personally brought in a copy of the template after the bylaws were submitted.
Goward, a former APS employee and current volunteer, said he is contacting groups whose bylaws are incomplete.
RRC member and Asian Pacific American Student Union Chairman Scott Lu said he wasn’t given the ASUO bylaws template.
During the hearing, RRC members spent much of their time looking over programs’ documents. Goward said he did not give RRC members the groups’ mission, goals and bylaws statements until the day before the meeting. Two of the four RRC representatives said they had time only to “look over” the programs’ documents.
Several RRC members questioned the purpose of the hearings. Lu said he didn’t know that program bylaws were included in the hearing.
Representative Mike Filippelli said he was unclear whether “continued recognition” should be granted if groups were asked to update or amend by laws.
Also at the hearing, Goward announced RRC member Stephanie Carriere resigned because she couldn’t meet the time commitment.
The RRC hearings will continue on Thursday and Friday evening at 7 p.m. in the EMU Boardroom.