Blurring of the lines Group's $8,525 funding raises questions about SA policy continued ...
	As far as the costs, Clark said rec center parties go upwards of $3,000 -- an amount On-Point could not have covered had the party occurred a week before. The money went toward rec center rental and extensive security costs. The party did take place, with UP&A associate director Bert Simpson manning the door to make sure everything went smoothly. About 1,000 people helped raise money for the African Students Association, and members of both groups danced late into the night. The rules change for the future Just a week after the On-Point budget approval, the finance committee reconsidered its abandonment of the SA Budget Guide. From then on, no previously unfunded student organizations got supplemental funding, as the amount slowly shrank to a manageable number. “We caught a weakness in our system … there was a slight glitch,” Adhikari said. The glitch won’t occur in the future, at least according to a resolution passed by the senate April 22. It states that the SA treasury must pass any funding changes in the SA Budget Guide through the senate. Caldwell has harsh words for the resolution, claiming it will lengthen the time it takes for student organizations to get money. “That’s nonsense to me,” he said. “The budget process already has many channels for groups to go through.” But some think the senate could have eliminated the On-Point anomaly before funding became an issue. Alaniz said the best way to prevent the formation of “repeat” student groups is to pick them off during senate confirmation. During the On-Point budget approval, only one question was raised before senators unanimously supported On-Point’s funding request. Now, On-Point must spend its money before the end of the fiscal year. Otherwise, the funds end up where they began -- in supplemental funding. The group has sponsored another event since the April 7 party -- a fundraiser for the African Students Association without any connection to Alpha Phi Alpha. The finance committee will not meet again this semester and awaits replacement next year under treasurer-elect Karega Harris, also an Alpha Phi Alpha member. Adhikari said she thought, given the circumstances, that the committee conducted business very effectively. The incident, though, has placed more attention and importance on the SA’s yearly distribution of student fees. “Students have to be watchdogs for their own student funds,” Simpson said.
			Originally published in the Northern Star
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