I am writing in response to a letter to the editor on Friday in regards to SAC playing a moral arbiter for Athens Video Works. While I was at Ohio University, I served for three years on the SAC general body and have been through many long meetings, interviews and audits.
In the letter, it was stated that SAC's main job is to provide student organizations with funding, but that SAC was not allowed to tell student organizations how to program. While I agree with this statement, I do believe that SAC has the right to know what is happening at the programs they decide to fund. If you refer to the strict set of rules about SAC funding, you will find that organizations are suppose to be specific when they present their ideas for programs. They need to be specific with where the money that was given to them is going and the purpose of their programs. For example, SAC cannot fund any religious programs unless the religious program has some sort of educational aspect incorporated and it is open everyone. So, how is SAC a moral arbiter if religious programs also get denied funding?
I do recall that Athens Video Works is very prepared for their interviews. They come prepared with all of their equipment costs, how much they have spent in the past and predicted costs. However, I wonder if AVW would have been more specific about what content would be on their Fridays Live series if SAC had agreed to funding the program in the first place. SAC has never had a need to include a rule in the SAC PAC stating, Organizations cannot receive funding for programs that are offensive or imply racial jokes. However, times are changing.
During the interview process, SAC has an overwhelming amount of requests for funding and rarely do student organizations receive even half of what they ask for. With such tight times, SAC deserves the right to temporarily take away funding for an organization if they feel, as a general body, that the funds were misspent. This is not the first time that organizations have been put on probation or even banned from receiving SAC funding. I believe that SAC is one of the hardest working organizations on campus and it never receives proper recognition. Keep up the good work, SAC!
Molly McKenney was SAC commissioner in 2006, Student Senate treasurer in 2007 and a graduate of Ohio University.
4 Opinion
Letter to the Editor
