Spring Break
Eddy responds to Union
by Miranda Neubauer
Senior Writer
News | 1/22/08
Posted online at 5:01 AM EST on 1/22/08
/ Last updated at 10:43 PM EST on 1/22/08
Senior Vice President for Students and Enrollment Jean Eddy defended her decision to allow Student Events to receive its funding directly from the Department of Student Activities instead of from the Student Union Finance Board in a campuswide e-mail Friday, her first public statement on the issue.
Eddy was not available for an interview with the Justice as of press time.
"Statements that there has been a violation of the Student Union Constitution, or that some percentage of the allocable student activities budget has been taken away from students is a gross misperception at best," Eddy wrote. "No money has been taken out of the hands of students."
Students protested last month outside of the Bernstein-Marcus and Gryzmish administration buildings against Eddy's decision. Eddy wrote she supports students' right to organize and values student autonomy. The proposal for Student Events to receive 17 percent of the SAF, representing one percent of each students' tuition bill, was accepted by Eddy Nov. 26.
According to Eddy, her decision was based on an increase in unspent funds amounting to "hundreds of thousands of dollars" managed by the Student Union. "It is my intention to ensure that funds that families pay for the support of events and activities are indeed spent," she wrote.
"Student Events has nothing to with any type of rollover," Director of Union Affairs Jason Gray '10 said. Gray said Eddy is merely using the "unspent funds" argument to confound the real issue at stake, which the Union said is student autonomy and the unconstitutional nature of Eddy's decision.
Gray said Eddy originally explained her decision as a measure to improve social life on campus. "I believe that change is needed to achieve the kind of improvement to our social programming that is needed " Eddy wrote in her Nov. 26 letter to the Student Union.
Union Advocate Brian Paternostro '08 said, "Social life and the Student Events issue is not an issue of the SAF." He added that "It's not a problem that can be solved by talking about money, creating fiscal policy or changing anything about our spending practices."
Eddy was not available for an interview with the Justice as of press time.
"Statements that there has been a violation of the Student Union Constitution, or that some percentage of the allocable student activities budget has been taken away from students is a gross misperception at best," Eddy wrote. "No money has been taken out of the hands of students."
Students protested last month outside of the Bernstein-Marcus and Gryzmish administration buildings against Eddy's decision. Eddy wrote she supports students' right to organize and values student autonomy. The proposal for Student Events to receive 17 percent of the SAF, representing one percent of each students' tuition bill, was accepted by Eddy Nov. 26.
According to Eddy, her decision was based on an increase in unspent funds amounting to "hundreds of thousands of dollars" managed by the Student Union. "It is my intention to ensure that funds that families pay for the support of events and activities are indeed spent," she wrote.
"Student Events has nothing to with any type of rollover," Director of Union Affairs Jason Gray '10 said. Gray said Eddy is merely using the "unspent funds" argument to confound the real issue at stake, which the Union said is student autonomy and the unconstitutional nature of Eddy's decision.
Gray said Eddy originally explained her decision as a measure to improve social life on campus. "I believe that change is needed to achieve the kind of improvement to our social programming that is needed " Eddy wrote in her Nov. 26 letter to the Student Union.
Union Advocate Brian Paternostro '08 said, "Social life and the Student Events issue is not an issue of the SAF." He added that "It's not a problem that can be solved by talking about money, creating fiscal policy or changing anything about our spending practices."
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