Financial changes require student input

By Staff Editorial     10/2/08 7:00pm

At Monday's Student Association meeting in Farnsworth Pavilion, Vice President for Finance Kathy Collins will speak to those in attendance about a goal that has been set forth to change the way Rice undergraduate organization finances work (see story, page 1). Instead of being able to use external, public banks to house funds, clubs and colleges would be required to transfer their money to internal Rice accounts, for which the university would act as banker.Any plan leading to this goal has the possibility of drastically changing how colleges and undergraduate clubs function. The role of the treasurer, methods of withdrawing funds and writing checks and the ability for any student to be reimbursed would all be altered. The greatest issue at hand is that with this proposed financial plan, clubs could lose a great deal of autonomy and freedom.

The fact that the information relating to this possible change has not been well publicized is another cause for concern. Collins stated that she has been working on the proposal since the summer months, and the college presidents have been in contact with Dean of Undergraduates Robin Forman about the matter, but Monday at 10 p.m. will be the first time the rest of the student body will have the opportunity to address these issues via question-and-answer with those with the power to shape the policy.

Because of the proposal's preliminary nature, we have refrained from iterating any specific grievances in this column. Instead, we strongly encourage all members of the student body, and especially club presidents, to attend Collins' talk in order to better understand how any change along these lines could affect student life. Students should voice concerns, ask questions, get information and then provide feedback, because there is no easier way for the administration to hear undergraduate concerns than to tell them directly. The final decision should be well informed, with input from both students and administrators taken into account.

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