Free Meals for Club Members at Your Expense?

Salem College Students, do you know where your money is going?  Have you ever been concerned the few documents you receive on your finances from Salem aren’t telling the whole story?  Does it ever appear that the drying ink on your bill statement doesn’t seem to hold all the answers to what your money is funding?  Do we just accept this every day, without question, because we are too afraid to cause controversy and find the answers?

Who are we afraid of?

We as a student body have every right to know where every dime of our money is going.

The issue: Where exactly is our money going when we pay the “Student Government Fee”?

The argument: We as a student body don’t know and want to know.

Before I begin, I want to make it clear that I have no animosity towards individuals and/or groups here at Salem College.  I am solely focusing on the issues at hand and seeking solutions for those issues.  Also, Salem College students should talk directly with SGA members, CAB members, Dean Barr, and any others involved to receive all sides of the story.

The Student Government Fee is a $215 fee that every student must pay every fall term of every year that they are enrolled at Salem College.

(For more tuition and billing information please visit: http://www.salem.edu/parents/parents-of-accepted-students/tuition-and-billing/?searchterm=student government fee)



Theoretically, this money goes to select groups (as in, not all the organizations) on campus to improve the atmosphere and the community on campus for the students of Salem College.  However, most do not have any inkling of where there $215 is going.

This past Monday, on April 4, 2011, at 10pm, a meeting for the Legislative Board members was held.  The purpose of the meeting was to vote on a new dollar amount each group would receive per student.  All Salem College students were invited to attend.  The meeting was to take place in the Library Assembly Room.  The email for this event was sent out the day before at 3:14pm.

According to one student, there was a better turn out than there normally was.  Even so, the room consisted of two columns of three rows of chairs.  Not all the chairs were occupied but most were.

The SGA members began with attendance.  Some members showed up a little late, but with plausible excuses.

Next, SGA members broke down what money was going where.  CAB appeared to have the highest amount of money per student.  After questions the Legislative Board approved the budget unanimously, advancing it onward for the student body to vote on this upcoming Tuesday, April 12, 2011, at 4pm at SGA town hall meeting.

The next day, an email circulated containing this information:

"Dean Barr,

  I have an issue that I need addressed immediately.  I learned last night during a meeting with the Leg board and SGA members that our student money is being used irresponsibly and uneconomically.  Tuition and Room and Board here at Salem is high enough as it is each year and adding another $250 dollars for a student to pay is quite a burden.  However, there has been a great deal of unrest amongst students on campus about this fee.  The unrest is due to the fact that we as students have no idea whatsoever where this money is going.

  A student at Salem college informed me last night before the meeting that almost all of the groups here at Salem that have direct funding from this $250 dollar student fee will use this money to eat at restaurants like Panera, etc. to have their meetings.  First and foremost, why is my hard earned money used to buy a meal ticket for a group member that I may not know or support?  Second of all, who is regulating this other than the SGA treasurer?  I also learned that, although some groups have a "limit" on how much they can spend for food, none of the groups were willing to give me their price "limit" other than SGA, which was $10 dollars a person.  Please explain to me why we as students who do not hold a leader position amongst these select groups do not also get to eat out on this money?

  The above unnamed student also informed me that CAB had no limit whatsoever on how much food they were allowed to get and most of them would buy one meal and then another one to take home.  This is irresponsible and unacceptable.  I confronted a CAB current member as well as the newly elected Vice President for next year and they told me that they were allowed to get their meals from [name deleted]'s corporate card and that it wasn't from the $250 fee.  This is also unacceptable, because that is still the student's money that is funding [name deleted]'s corporate card.  Also, CAB barely does anything anymore.  All of the dances they put on still cost us almost $20 to get into, when they should be free with the $250 student fee.  Also, what else does CAB do?  I ask because the events on campus that I see [name deleted] at are severely lacking and I am not the only person who feels this way.

  In conclusion, I am saying that we as a student body are extremely unsatisfied.  If it weren't for that unnamed student I would have never known about these meetings taking place at expense of the students.  These groups are supposed to support and improve student life at Salem.  If anything, right now, they are not living up to these standards.  I truly and honestly feel like I am being used and stolen from by members who expect me to pay for their meal tickets as a forced "thank you" for all their "hard work".  I strongly suggest that monthly statements be emailed out to the student body so we know where our money is going.  This is unacceptable.  Please help.  Something needs to be done before we vote this Tuesday.  The students unwittingly trust their money to people who are abusing it and who try and justify the abuse.  These people need to be held accountable, now.

Thank you for your time and understanding."

-By Student Who Will Not Be Named for His/Her protection

This particular email had a couple deans, the president of the college, the head of the financial aid office, and several others, including students, CCed.

Dean Barr responded promptly back with this email:

"Dear [Student Who Will Not Be Named for His/Her protection],

Thank you for your message today. You raise some really important questions about the student activities fee and the SGA budgeting process that we know absolutely need to be addressed. This year's SGA executive board is aware that students report they know little about the student activities fee allocation process, thus they are actively trying to make this process more transparent by providing students with more detailed information about student groups' use of money and inviting you to participate in open forum discussions.

I will defer to Mary Lynn Paulson, SGA president, to provide you with some important information about how SGA will be disseminating explanatory information and inviting students to engage in this process in the coming week.

One item of note: The SGA student activities fee is $215 (rather than $250 which I believe the amount that students have been quoting), and SGA has worked hard not to raise the fee for a number of years. The allocations to student organizations change from year to year (within this fee amount) based on rationale presented to the Executive Finance Board for review, which is voted on by the student body at a spring SGA meeting.

In the past, students have not raised many questions about the SGA fee allocations or the use of student fee money, but given the state of the economy, it is responsible for you to ask questions, and I know that SGA is encouraged that students are finally becoming more involved in this process.

Sincerely,

Dean Barr

P.S. I also am aware that the Committee on Community has put this item on their agenda (student activities fee allocations) and may soon be announcing a forum specific to this topic.

--
Krispin Barr
Dean of Students
Salem College
Winston-Salem, NC 27101
krispin.barr@salem.edu"

What do you think?  Is it right that groups should eat out on the money entrusted to them by the student body to improve the Salem Campus and provide opportunities for the students?  Is there any proof that anything is being done?

Here are some things to consider before you make your decisions:

The Salem Honor Code:

"Salem College is a community of honor.  I will show respect for my community by behaving with honesty, integrity, and civility.

As a responsibility to my honor community:

1. I will show respect for my classmates and faculty by maintaining honesty in my academic work and refraining from cheating.
2. I will show respect for my community and peers by maintaining integrity and honesty in my daily life and refraining from stealing and lying.
3. I will show respect for faculty, staff and members of the administration by maintaining civility and refraining from disruptive and abusive language and behavior.

I acknowledge that I will be held accountable for my decisions and behavior, and I will accept the consequences of my actions.  In choosing Salem College, I pledge to uphold the principles of the Honor Code and will cherish and guard its traditions."

--(verbatim from the Student Handbook, emphasis mine)

SGA Club Description:

"Student Government Association (SGA)

The Student Government Association (SGA) is the means by which you as students govern yourselves and to uphold Salem values such as maintaining a high level of conduct, creating a spirit of unity and developing a sense of individual responsibility and adherence to the honor tradition at Salem..

Membership is open to all traditional-age students; non-traditional age students may be involved as non-voting members.

Student organizations within the SGA include:

• Honor Council
• Legislative Board
• Interdorm Council
• Executive Board"

--(verbatim from the website http://www.salem.edu/student-life/clubs-and-organizations, emphasis mine)

CAB Club Description:

"The Campus Activities Board (CAB) is responsible for sponsoring diverse social and entertainment programs both on and off campus.  These programs include parties, special events, dance and entertainment that bring diverse types of performances to campus.  Also, the Campus Activities Board is responsible for Fall Lawn, Semi-Formal, Formal, and Spring Cocktail events.  Elected students form the CAB Executive Board; however, all interested students are encouraged to become members of the General Board."

--(verbatim from the Student Handbook, emphasis mine)

Current Population of Salem:

"Salem's total enrollment of 1,100 includes traditional college students (all women), adults enrolled in the graduate-degree programs in education as well as men and women ages 23 and up who take courses through the Fleer Center for Adult Education." (verbatim from the website http://www.salem.edu/about/fast-salem-facts)

The Math:

1,100 students X $215 Student Government Fee = $236,500 budget for SGA to divide amongst selected groups.

You decide!

Additional Information:

• **Student Run Protest** - Students, do you disagree with group members buying meals using your money?  Protest at the SGA town hall meeting this Tuesday, April 12, at 4pm!  Let everyone here your voice.  We will be holding posters displaying our disgust for the abuse of our hard earned money.  We will meet outside the FAC at 3:50pm.  We are forced to pay the $215 dollar fee, but we are not forced to be quiet about the irresponsible use of our money.  Please support us!  For questions, comments, and concerns, please contact me at leeann.holmes@salem.edu.
• You are allowed to ask to see the receipts of the clubs purchases at any time.  Contact the SGA president or treasurer to set up an appointment.  You cannot directly access CAB receipts the transactions are placed on a corporate card...

Please post comments!  All topics are up for debate!  Thanks for reading.

UPDATES:

"Hi, again, [Student That Shall Not Be Named],

I received an update from Mary Lynn tonight and understand that she is coordinating a meeting so that members of SGA exec and CAB can provide correct information and answer any questions students might have about rumors they've heard about how money has been spent. I am grateful to her for doing that because I re-read your email tonight and realized that many of the things you have been hearing are so from the truth and perhaps have been exacerbated by the Salem rumor mill.

Also, regarding your questions about what CAB does and how they spend their money, I would encourage you to make an appointment to speak with Brooke [Barber] directly, and she could invite members of the CAB board, because they work extremely hard throughout the year to provide an enormous amount of programming, much of which students may not realize is being sponsored by CAB. I am confident they would welcome the opportunity to address your concerns about CAB and the programming they sponsor throughout the year.

I wanted to be sure you knew as well that Brooke is very conscientious about spending any budget money on food for CAB, and meals she has paid for are associated with training and planning sessions that require an exorbitant amount of time together in meetings. I imagine that most students have no idea how much work they do throughout the year, and the meals are a small token of our appreciation for their hard work.

Sincerely,

Dean Barr"

"Hi [Student That Shall Not Be Named],

At dinner tonight, you raised some valid questions about how organizations spend their funding. I agree that it is important that students know how the money for the student activity fee is allocated. Hopefully I should be able to answer your questions, but if you need clarification on allocations or any additional information, please let me know. SGA is also working to continually raise awareness among Salem students about how Student Activity Fee is used. In addition, the Committee on Community is planning a forum  about clubs, attendance at events at Salem, and allocations of funds in the Salem community. This is being planned with the hope of receiving valuable feedback that will help increase feelings of inclusion and understandings of how money is being spent.

It is difficult for a club or organization at Salem to abuse funding: there are several forms of oversight that ensure responsible handling of finances. Any money taken out of an organization's account must be approved by a faculty sponsor before the withdrawal can be processed. The faculty sponsor will typically ask questions about the intended use for the funds. Next, someone in the business office must process the request for funds, and update the account of the organization in the computer system. Any time money is deposited or withdrawn, the account is updated in the computer. At the end of each month, the Director of Student Activities emails all of the Presidents and Treasurers of organizations that receive money from the Student Activity Fee a copy of their monthly financial statement.

 All organizations that receive money from the Student Activity Fee are required to submit a monthly financial statement to the Executive Finance Board. The EFB meets once a month to look closely at each of these monthly financial statements. Not only do they check the receipts that are provided, but they also look at the information on the monthly financial statement to double check that every dollar has been tallied and recorded. In short, all expenses of any club or organiszation need to be documented and justified. If an organization has any missing receipts or has a fund discrepancy then they can (and will) have their account frozen.  So, if an organization goes out to Panera for a meeting, your fellow students that serve on the EFB know about it. When a group does make a purchase with food, the EFB does look at the receipts and does hold the group accountable. The EFB must approve of the expense before the reimbursement of funds to any individual or organization.

 The SGA Treasurer and the Executive Finance Board work closely with all student groups when making allocations from year to year, in an effort to make sure that the Student Activity Fee helps current students. For the past several years, the SGA of Salem has not increased the Student Activity Fee. Any changes in the student activity fee relate to the amounts different organizations receive. The decision to increase or decrease funds for a club or organization relates to how that group has used its funds that year, the fundraisers they have attempted, and the contributions they have made to the campus.

 The EFB and faculty advisors were set in place to ensure checks and balances so that leaders on campus do not abuse their positions, or the money entrusted to them by the student body. As I said at dinner, I would be more than happy to meet with you in person to answer any questions you (or others) may have. Leaders on campus have gone out to dinner once or twice a year as an extension of a training program or as a meeting associated with the extensive work they do, spending hours in planning sessions and working to develop programs and events on behalf of the student body, and they are always held accountable for how they spend your student activity fee.

I truly appreciate your dedication to Salem, and how funds are used to enhance the experience of the student body. You said that you were not interested in leadership positions like the Executive Finance Board, but that you just had an interest in how your money is spent. I promise that there are others leaders on campus, and in the administration, who care about what you have to say, and who will go out of their way to listen and make sure your voice is heard. I am sorry that you have felt so ignored for two years; the fact that you have continued to speak up is a testament to your character. I am certain that I am not alone in affirming how lucky Salem is to have such a determined and impassioned individual on her campus.

 Mary Lynn Paulson

SGA President"