THE STAG IS RUNNING...

!RHETT FOR VP!

  (Because he's about RESPONSIVE RESPONSIBILITY)

BALANCED BUDGET

    By now many of you have at least heard about the problems that this year's budget has posed for the ASCMC. 
     In fact, some organizations, including the yearbook, have spent far more than they were allocated in the original ASCMC budget.  While past administrations, such as the 98/99 ASCMC Executive Board, have allocated funds to organizations without immediately accounting for the spending, organizations have also taken it upon themselves to spend outside the bounds of their respective budgets.  That is, the Constitution, in combination with lax past administrations, has allowed organizations such as the yearbook to spend above and beyond their Senate approved budget.

     Example:

     On 9/6/98 the ASCMC Executive Board approved a yearbook budget increase by $4,840 for additional yearbook pages, color, and an upgraded cover.  The Administration then "decided that [the yearbook editor should] go ahead with the changes, and [the Board] will worry about the payment later."

     Two problems:

     1) The Board apparently never worried about the payment later--no mention of the issue was made in subsequent Executive Board minutes.

     2) The yearbook editor went ahead and made the changes that the Board approved, but she spent an additional $6,702.20 on the yearbook.

     Why did this happen?

     Both the ASCMC Executive Board and the yearbook editor were irresponsible in their duties.  The Board refused financial accountability and the yearbook editor refused to comply with her budget.

     What can solve this problem?

     Transparency of the Executive Board meetings and financial controls on the yearbook editor. 

     How can we have transparency and financial controls?

     As ASCMC VP, I promise to write a weekly column for claremontmckenna.com and a column in each issue of the Forum that details the proceedings of both the ASCMC Executive Board meetings and Student Senate meetings.  I promise to provide you with readily available information on what your student government is doing--how it is allocating money, how it is accounting for that money, how it is shaping your college experience.

     Regarding financial controls, I promise to propose a Constitutional Amendment that requires a separation of yearbook duties.  That is, I will propose that the yearbook editor be the Jostens (yearbook publisher) contact only for layout issues and that either the ASCMC CFO or Treasurer be the Jostens contact for all financial matters.  Under my proposal, Jostens could not receive an approval for additions to the yearbook unless an ASCMC financial officer, a person who has intimate knowledge of the ASCMC budget and its remaining funds, gives the Jostens contact approval.