Student Government Association’s Election Oversight Committee proposed a resolution to permanently allow only members in at least their sophomore years onto the committee, going against last year’s temporary suspension of the rule to allow freshmen.

This decision comes after a review in SGA, and the assembly will vote today on whether to make the rule a permanent change.

“Last year the EOC got into some trouble when they didn’t really look at the constitution very closely when forming the committee,” SGA President Mike Keller said.

“They added freshmen when the constitution specifically said that they can’t be.”

Sophomore James Schubert, who served as chairman on last year’s EOC as a freshman, said he thinks this was the wrong decision to make.

“I think they are going to struggle to get participation now,” Schubert said. “Freshmen tend to be the least busy, and they have the best opportunity to get involved.”

Keller said the process would benefit from members of the EOC having a year of experience before being on the committee because collegiate elections are different from high school.

“I think it’s definitely a good permanent change,” Keller said. “It is for the best for the committee to have older students taking on a serious role.”

Schubert was planning on being a part of the committee this year but said his plans have changed.

“I will be withdrawing my name because of that decision,” Schubert said.

PuLSE Office Director Caroline Huck-Watson assists the EOC in the decision process and said she believes that this resolution is good for the school year.

“Based on what our participation looks like I can say that this year, having older students is fine,” Huck-Watson said. “But I can see another one-year suspension just in case we need to add more students.”

She also said she doesn’t believe this resolution to be a result of poor performance from previous years.

“I can see why SGA thought this resolution would be a good thing by having experienced students,” Huck-Watson said, “but I personally could see EOC being a good way for freshmen to get involved.”

Butler University student organizations are for the students by the students, and the process to receive funding is no different.

Any recognized student organization does not necessarily receive funding from the university, Caroline Huck-Watson, PuLSE Office director, said. It is the student organization’s responsibility to look for sources for funding.

One way student organizations can get funding is by applying for Student Government Association grants.

The SGA Finance Board and Grants Committee started looking at grant applications last week, said Derek Friederich, SGA vice president of finance. Four grants have been approved so far.

Student organizations can apply for four types of grants: general-purpose grants, event grants, R.E.A.C.H. grants and club sports grants.

“A lot of organizations really do rely on those (grants),” SGA President Mike Keller said. “The money they have at the start of the year is really not enough to do some of the things that they want to.”

Applying for grants is a multi-step process, Friederich said.

First, a student organization interested in a grant will fill out the online application and budget form on SGA’s website.

That application will be submitted to the Grants Committee and a member will add that application to a pile of applications to be considered.

The Grants Committee and Finance Board hear four grant request presentations per week, Friederich said. The organization will give a brief presentation about why they want the grant. The committee will then ask the organization questions to find out if the money will be put to good use.

“It is the students’ money,” Friederich said. “We check to make sure efforts are being made toward bettering the campus in some way.”

The 11 individuals on Grants Committee are the only people who vote on the grant applications. If a grant is awarded to an organization, the money will be in that organization’s account at the PuLSE Office the next day.

The PuLSE Office oversees the accounts of all registered student organizations. The financial transactions of an organization happen there, with the exception of club sports, which are handled through the health and recreation department.

Huck-Watson said, along with SGA grants, student organizations could get funding from their own fundraising efforts or also from grants outside the university.

A representative from a student organization can come in for a cash advance, which is money taken out ahead of time for an activity or supplies a group needs if it have the money in its account.

The representative from the organization must fill out a form with information about who they are and the amount of money they want. That form is then taken to Student Accounts, as the actual money is not kept in the PuLSE Office, Huck-Watson said.

After the money is spent, the representative must go back to the PuLSE Office with the receipts from transactions and any change  left over.

The PuLSE Office can also be used to pay organization’s invoices or reimburse students in an organization who have used their own money for something, Huck-Watson said.

On the 15th of every month, the university puts out cumulative financial reports so students can see how much they’ve been spending throughout the year, Huck-Watson said. But students are expected to keep a real-time budget to keep track of their spending.

Huck-Watson said the PuLSE office holds meetings at the beginning of each year required for all student organizations to inform them of the different policies and financial responsibilities they have as a student organization.

The PuLSE Office will work with organizations if funding issues arise, Huck-Watson said. It is handled on a case-by-case basis to figure out how the issues happened and how it can be fixed.

SGA also requires student organizations to be accountable for their grants, Friederich said.

Organizations who receive event grants must submit an accountability report to the Grants Committee showing the receipts so the committee can match it up with the budget to make sure the money was used how the organization said it was going to be used, Friederich said.

General purpose grants are subject to random audits throughout the year, Friederich said.

The entire SGA budget comes from the activity fee students are required to pay, Keller said.

Student government receives about $180 of the $288 student activity fee. The rest of the money goes to each individual class, athletics and into a pool to be divvied up between the different organizations, Keller said.

Keller said he thinks the activity fee is set at the correct amount.

“Our only mission is to be an advocate and provide programming for the students,” Keller said. “It’s a really solid investment, especially if you’re someone who takes advantage of all that SGA offers.”

Huck-Watson said she thinks the fee is doing its job.

“From my perspective, I don’t think the fee needs to be raised,” she said. “At this point, the fee is meeting the needs of the students.”

The total SGA budget is $748,409 for this year, Friederich said. There is $55,500 in the grants budget.

The grants are awarded first come, first served, so organizations should apply early, Friederich said.

A prospective student organization was denied endorsement by the Student Government Association last Wednesday, and is up for appeal today.

The National Society for Leadership and Success was presented before SGA executives and was denied endorsement.

SGA Assembly will now listen to the NSLS’s presentation, and will vote to pass it or not.

If the NSLS is approved in the SGA assembly, Irene Stevens, dean of student life, and PuLSE Office Director Caroline Huck-Watson will then review it.

Brian Hannon, the president of the NSLS if it is approved, understands SGA’s initial hesitation but says the organization will help Butler students.

“I think the group was initially rejected by the SGA board because they were worried the fees required to start the organization are too much and too corporate-based,” Hannon said in an email “It is their responsibility to protect the student body from getting scammed, so I understand their viewpoint.”

“The networking possibilities, nationally-recognized speakers and community service events all would be a huge benefit to this campus,” Hannon said.

SGA President Mike Keller said that when the NSLS presented, there were specific parts of the group’s constitution that caused concern.

The financial aspect of the constitution stated that an $85 admission fee to the group was required for each new student.

Of that $85, only $5 went back to Butler University, and $80 went to the national headquarters of the group.

Keller also said that a 3.0 GPA was required to be eligible for the group, which he said did not seem high enough to be considered an honors group, especially here at Butler.

“We really didn’t feel comfortable saying this was a good organization for the students because it would take away money from other groups that are more beneficial,” Keller said.

Marielle Slagel, SGA vice president of operations, said the whole presentation made the SGA executives question if this group could really benefit Butler.

“We are looking out for students and the campus community and are skeptical of the membership fee as well as the benefits that students would receive from the National Society of Leadership and Success,” Slagel said.

Even though Stevens has not seen the group this year, she said that the same group attempted to start a chapter here at Butler in the past.

Two years ago the NSLS made a presentation to Huck-Watson, and she raised her initial concerns to Stevens.

Huck-Watson researched the group online and told Stevens that it is a “for-profit” group, in which the NSLS had to raise thousands of dollars a year just to support its own programs.

The online website for the NSLS boasts 221,000 members yet its membership benefits said there is $100,000 available in scholarships. So if each member were to receive benefits. each individual would only receive $0.45.

“There are better ways to go for a leadership group than to pay a lot of money to a for-profit organization, in my opinion,” Stevens said.

The NSLS will present to SGA Assembly this afternoon.

Students are not the only ones working behind the scenes for Butler’s Student Government Association.

The PuLSE Office has four individuals who advise SGA and its various boards.

Dean of Student Life Irene Stevens said the role of an SGA adviser is to help executive members do the job to the best of their ability and help them avoid pitfalls they may encounter.

“I don’t necessarily always have the answers,” said Caroline Huck-Watson, director of the PuLSE Office. “But I can also help direct someone to figure out where those are.”

Huck-Watson advises the Council on Presidential Affairs, Finance Board, the SGA president and SGA’s Executive Board. As PuLSE director, she also helps other staff advisers when issues arise.

SGA President Al Carroll said the advisers are there to say when students are or are not on the right track.

“We don’t always agree with them,” Carroll said. “But that’s the way it is.”

She said that while there are no specific guidelines for her to follow as adviser, there are expectations in terms of the role she plays. She said the entire PuLSE staff follows university law and procedures.

She said that doing so allows the advisers to help students navigate university systems.

Other PuLSE advisers include Julie Pakenham, associate director; Rob Miller, assistant director; and Jen Agnew, assistant director.

The PuLSE staff reports to Stevens.

“I also work with the exec on some issues occasionally,” Stevens said. “It’s not unusual for me to have a meeting with the president of SGA, in particular the CPA president and vice president, about various issues.”

Stevens also said that her role allows her to attend various SGA assemblies.

“It gives me a sense of what’s going on with students and what the issues are that they’re dealing with,” Stevens said. “I do enjoy going in and hearing what they’re talking about.”

Stevens said the advisers are able to provide students with a historical perspective of SGA and the university.

“I rely on Caroline quite a bit,” SGA President-elect Mike Keller said. “Al has been great with the transition, but Caroline is who I look to for knowledge of the past.”

Huck-Watson said she sees challenging students as one of her roles.

“I would hope my role is that when students are making decisions, I’m helping them see a variety of different perspectives so that they can make the most informed decision that they can at that time,” Huck-Watson said.

She said she is ever-evolving as an adviser.

“It’s such a moment of pride to see a student be a successful leader, to make change on campus, to really feel empowered, to lead a group and to make decisions that have an impact on our community,” Huck-Watson said. “That happens every year. It’s so wonderful.”

Keller said he’s already had a great experience working with the advisers leading up to his transition into office.

The advisers sat in on his vice president interviews.

“It is my decision,” Keller said. “None of them tried to influence it, but they were able to provide a lot of helpful pros and cons for each candidate.”

Carroll said he has great respect and gratitude for all of the SGA advisers.

“They make my life easier,” Carroll said. “I’m thankful for that.”

Huck-Watson said she is blessed to have the opportunity to work with Butler students in such a profound way.

“I look around sometimes at events and things that are going on that our students are accomplishing,” Huck-Watson said. “It just takes my breath away sometimes.”

When student leaders apply, campaign for and put hours into their roles, they should also be able to defend themselves on their own.

It’s time to take the training wheels off of Student Government Association.

While I believe that faculty advisers for Student Government Association have good intentions, some of the actions in assembly leave me thinking they are overinvolved.

Last Wednesday, Dean of Student Life Irene Stevens’ announcement at the student assembly is a prime example.

In reference to The Collegian’s recent push for data from SGA’s recent elections, Stevens inferred that the push for this information has caused a sort of chaos on campus.

“There’s a tone that (SGA adviser) Caroline Huck-Watson or (SGA President) Al Carroll would do anything dishonest,” Stevens said. “I wish the tone was more civil.”

Executive board members were appointed to these positions by fellow students.

When a staff member—meant to serve the entire university, not just SGA—makes an announcement like this, it undermines the trust fellow students put in their leaders to make informed, grown-up decisions.

SGA assembly is a place for students to take the initiative, so staff advice simply isn’t warranted.

Administrators should take a hint from President Jim Danko, who has emphasized his belief that faculty should have supreme reign over Faculty Senate.

I would like to see advisers take a back-seat role in SGA.

If the Collegian can independently put out a newspaper each week, SGA leaders should be able to do their jobs all by themselves, too.

Vote totals from Butler University’s 2008 Student Government Association presidential election were released to The Collegian.

When The Collegian asked for this year’s election numbers, SGA adviser Caroline Huck-Watson and SGA president Al Carroll both said that the numbers would not be released to the public or to The Collegian.

Carroll and Huck-Watson both said that the numbers had never been released in years prior.

The numbers were released five years ago.

On page one of the April 9, 2008, issue of The Collegian, voting totals for each of the three presidential candidates are listed.

It is not clear if numbers from other years were not released because The Collegian did not request them or if SGA did not want to release them.