Bill might give funds to political, religious groups

A new bill has been proposed in the Indiana University Student Association that will change the way funds are allocated to campus student groups.\nNow, student groups that are politically or religiously affiliated do not get the same access to funds that non-political and non-religious groups receive.\nSenior Jeramy Foltz, the bill's author, said it would allow all student organizations a Student Organizational Account, a "glorified bank account."\n"It's always been my opinion that the system is unfair," he said. "All student groups should have an SOA account."\nThere are two basic accounts for student groups -- a Commitment to Assist Student Initiatives (CASI) and a Grassroots Initiative Fund (GRIF). The GRIF account is for groups affiliated with religion and politics, while the CASI account is for all other groups, Foltz said. With his bill, these accounts will be combined so all groups can have access.\nThe money in the CASI account, Foltz said, comes from the student activity fee, while the money in the GRIF account comes from revenue from an IU credit card program.\nFoltz called the bill complicated, especially with the implications of violating the separation of church and state, which he said he feels is a big issue.\n"If there was a pure division of church and state, there wouldn't be a religious studies department," he said.\nThe University of Wisconsin proposed a similar bill still being heard in the Supreme Court. Foltz said he hopes the IUSA congress, which is reviewing the bill now, will not interpret the court's decision. \nUniversity lawyers are also reviewing the bill.\nSenior Jim Banks, president of the College Republicans, calls the idea of the bill troubling. The College Republicans are eligible for GRIF funding because of the group's political nature.\n"The reason that the two (accounts) are separate now is because it is unfair to force students to pay tuition money to groups that they disagree with," Banks said. "Students who disagree with abortion, for example, should not have to have to see their money go to a group that promotes a pro-choice cause."\nBanks said it is also troubling that the bill was introduced in IUSA.\n"I hope that IUSA will not vote to force students to fund causes that they fundamentally disagree with," he said.\nSenior Sarah McHone, vice president of IU Students for Life, said she does not see anything wrong with the bill.\n"I don't see a big problem with combining accounts," she said. "I think there should be equal access for all groups"