It’s administration, not students who mangled SFC process

It is disturbing to see the administration’s handling of the recent student fee budget crisis. President Daniel Bernstine returned the budget to the Student Fee Committee last week, saying that the committee had failed to follow its own guidelines by increasing or decreasing student group budgets by more than 25 percent without a three-fourths majority vote.

Between 10 and 15 groups are affected, including OSPIRG, Campus Crusade for Christ and the Helen Gordon Center. The problem isn’t that the budget was returned to the committee, it’s that the administration has yet to offer a compelling reason for their actions and has come off as blatantly interfering with student process and autonomy.

In late November, the Judicial Board declared the 25 percent clause unconstitutional and the SFC struck the rule from its guidelines accordingly. Even though the SFC may only change its guidelines before or after budget season is over, Judicial Board rulings are binding. In order to respect the constitution and student process, the committee felt that they had no choice but to strike the rule, thereby following the process laid out in the ASPSU constitution. The SFC’s work this year wasn’t flawless, but they ultimately followed their process.

There might be a valid reason for the administration to be concerned about the Judicial Board’s ruling, but criticizing student government for not following its own process is not only destructive, it’s just plain wrong.

The proper time for the administration to step in would have been when the Judicial Board made its initial ruling in November. Waiting to step in until the last moment is not only subversive, it is destructive and wrests away any sort of power and independence from student government.

When the student senate wanted to have a special election in the fall, the administration had no problem stopping the elections because of legal misgivings from PSU legal counsel Kelly Gabliks. There seems to be no criteria for stepping into student affairs. The administration does so when they please, and in this case it comes at the most inopportune time.

The administration seems more concerned with wrestling control away from student government than working with them.

Instead of working with students to resolve these issues, the administration has issued edicts that it expects students to follow, creating an environment of distrust and anger and a perception that the administration can and will destroy any student initiative they disagree with.

That attitude is counterproductive to having a strong, legitimate student government and is ultimately self-defeating. Student leaders have become galvanized against the administration and these infractions into the student process, forcing both sides into an “us versus them” attitude.

With no clear end in sight, student leaders are now preparing for what many fear will be a protracted and ugly battle. So much for process.