SFC tackles year’s problems with bylaw revisions

The Student Fee Committee is in the process of revising the group’s bylaws, the document that outlines how the SFC conducts its business. The group is also working on the transfer of power to the newly elected members who will carry on the work of the SFC for the 2009-10 academic year.  

Committee Vice Chair Anela Puljic said she understands how difficult it is for any student to get throw into a leadership position within the SFC without proper training. This year, she wants to make sure that the new SFC bylaws will address that problem.

“It been really unclear as to who exactly does the training for new members. This year’s training wasn’t adequate,” Puljic said. “I want to make sure the new members are trained by the old SFC members and also by the administration, the budget office committee and the ASPSU advisor.”

Current SFC member Waddah Sofan said member terms should be extended to allow more time for the new staff to learn the ropes.

“By the time that SFC members acknowledge and understand the bylaw, they have to leave the office for the next group,” Sofan said. “I think [some] members from last year should stay on as mentors for next year’s SFC.”

Sofan was recently re-elected for his position as SFC member in this year’s student election, which he said will give him the opportunity to work with the new members.

“It’s very hard to be elected into a position and learn the ins and outs in one year—things like how to read the constitution even,” Puljic said. 

SFC member Trish Binder added that she would like to see the workload spread around more.

“I would like to make changes which would help the SFC chair’s job be a little more reasonable. [I would like to see] if there is a way to share the responsibility with the rest of the group, rather than have such a burden fall on the chair,” she said.

Another problem with the current bylaw is the gray area over who actually has power to allocate money to student groups: the committee or the university president.

After the committee goes through the bylaws, they must submit the revisions to President Wim Wiewel for his approval. This presents a roadblock in the autonomy of the SFC, said SFC Chair Tanja Miljevic.

Earlier this year with the current economic condition, President Wiewel changed the operating budget for the school.

“Some of the things in the bylaws are written in an unclear way,” Puljic said. “I know the administrators and the president at the end of the day have all of the power, so we want to include something in the new bylaws to make sure that we have more autonomy.”

Sofan said he shares that sentiment.

“This year the president makes all the choices, he can sign or not sign. I don’t know why the SFC exists anyway if the president makes all the final word,” Sofan said.

Puljic said she wants new committee members to understand the school policies and know who really has power to make all the decisions. 

“It’s good to know things like, ‘Maybe meeting with the president prior to making decision would be a good idea,'” Puljic said, “to know what he’s looking for so that you don’t promise student group a certain amount and drastically change that.”

In this year’s student government election, many candidates who ran for a position on the committee pledged to keep student fee down, including Chair-Elect Johnnie Ozimkowski.

Puljic said she also wants to keep the student fee down by revising the bylaws to make sure student groups don’t increase their budget every year. 

“This year, a lot of group requested more money,” Puljic said. “It’s not really sustainable for every single group to ask for an increase because then student fees would increase if everyone gets what they want.”

Another issue the revisions must address is what to do when student groups go over their budget, which cuts into next year’s reserve fund, Puljic said.

Sofan said he is interested in changing the way new SFC members are appointed to the position. Currently, if an SFC member resigns from the position during the year, the student body president appoints a new member.
 
“The SFC should conduct an interview first before the ASPSU president,” Sofan said. “It’s not fair for the whole committee when the PSU student government can hire whomever they want for the SFC.”

The bylaw revisions are due on June 30 and President Wiewel then has 10 days to go over it. Puljic said Wiewel might also meet with someone from the school’s administration and a couple of other SFC representatives to discuss the revision.