Student Government transparency in question

The Student Government Association announced last week that it has spent 26.36 percent of its resources. However, no official document detailing their expenditures has been made available to the public.

SGA's President James Dutton stated that SGA could not release such documents at this time as a result of stipulations from the Division of Student Services.

Furthermore, the posting of SGA's minutes have also lagged behind, as they are not currently available on the organization's website. Dutton indicated that SGA is working towards posting its meeting minutes.

"The bureaucracy of the university has slowed down the process," Dutton said. "But we are working to get them up as soon as possible. We are not trying to hide anything."

Dean of Students Dr. Rebecca Stout, on the other hand, emphasized the centrality of transparency within SGA.

"Ultimately, as elected officials, the SGA is accountable to the student body regarding how they spend their funds," said Stout.

Students aware of the organization's lack of transparency are beginning to voice their concerns.

"I am unfortunately not very aware of how funds are being spent on campus," said Georgia State student Alicia Thompson. "I feel like there is a lot of behind the scenes information that is not shared with students, so they kind of just leave us in the dark when it comes to all the specifics of fund spending. They advertise what they want us to know and don't publicize that information when they don't."

According to Paul Marmol, SGA's vice president for budget and finance, the organization's funding is dictated by the Student Activity Fee Committee. However, Marmol also noted that students comprise a majority of the votes within the SAFC and therefore play a primary role in determining where its funds go.

SAFC records provided the amount of funds allocated to each organization, like SGA, Athletics and Art, but it does not include a percentage breakdown detailing exactly how much money is spent by SGA for any given project or service. While students may have access to SAFC minutes through the Dean of Student's website, the most recent SAFC meeting minutes are from March 25, 2011.

SAFC awarded SGA $141,284 for the fiscal year, approximately $4.41 per student.

Marmol explained that the money goes to student-related activities, like the Homecoming Tailgate on Oct. 22, which will provide free food, T-Shirts, music and games. Funds are used to co-sponsor events put on by student organizations.

The SGA Budget and Finance Committee, made up of eight elected senators, provides an oral budget overview at every SGA Senate meeting; these reports are not physically available at these meetings.

As of press time, Open Records Requests have been submitted to SGA to obtain their detailed budget expenditures.