Fundraising shortfall

Tasha Triplett’s ASPSU business card title is Outreach and Funding Coordinator, but the job description and outcomes for the new position created this year remain unclear.

Fundraising goals were set at the beginning of the year but the economic climate was not taken into account when those goals were set, Triplett said.

“There was a lot of inventing the wheel,” she said.

ASPSU was unable to provide specific information regarding fundraising goals to the Vanguard.

President Jonathan Sanford created the position this year in the hopes of raising money to cover ASPSU operating costs.

According to Ed Hallman, ASPSU vice president, it became clear in November that there was no way for a student to raise over $600 per month in this economy and thus ASPSU fundraising efforts transitioned to food-donation raising. 

Triplett reports that ASPSU raised almost $1,000 from the ASL Comedy Night last fall that kicked off an American Sign Language campaign run by Portland State’s American Sign Language Club and ASPSU aimed at relocating ASL from Speech and Hearing Sciences to the Foreign Language Department.

According to Student Activities and Leadership Programs Assistant Director Domanic Thomas, who also advises ASPSU, the numbers mentioned by the funding and outreach coordinator may not reflect an accurate picture of net dollars after expenses are taken into account.

The totals given by Triplett reflect the dollars deposited into the ASPSU student fee account but not the dollars that were paid out for expenses such as for the ASL Comedy Night comedian fees, production company fees and other fees, Thomas said.

Thomas commended Triplett on her professionalism and communication, Thomas said.
Triplett’s initial interest in the position stemmed from her desire to utilize the skill set she developed from years of working in community nonprofits and organizations. She also wanted to become more knowledgeable of the resources and information unique to ASPSU and to pass the information on to other students, she said.

Triplett wrote a proposal describing her ideas for effective operation of the funding and outreach coordinator position. She suggested dividing it to create two new ASPSU positions with clear focus on job duties and responsibilities. The new positions suggested by Triplett are an outreach and recruitment coordinator and a funding and budget coordinator.

Triplett credits ASPSU with having accomplished at lot for students in the 2009–10 school year and calls its work regarding the potential financial restructure of Oregon universities “groundbreaking for generating the type of place I hope ASPSU will become—inclusive for all students.”