Tensions in meeting

Interruptions, yelling and the banging of a gavel amid fighting between two sides of the room characterized the IU Student Association meeting Monday night. \nTensions arose between IU Student Association Treasurer Blair Greenberg and School of Public and Environmental Affairs Graduate Senator Dietrich Willke when Willke accused Greenberg of mismanaging funds. Also, Willke, along with junior Samir Patel, sponsored a bill that resolves to "suspend the treasurer's budgetary stipend until he submits a full and accurate budget."\nAs a part of Greenberg's duties, he is to submit a full account of the budget every month and has failed to do so thus far. Willke is demanding the budget be submitted at the Dec. 2 IUSA meeting, or action must be taken. \n"The whole bill came about when I sent an e-mail to Blair to ask for the budget," Willke said. "Blair told me he didn't have time to give it to me. Then, many other members of Congress asked to see the budget as well. Under the bylaws and our constitution, he is supposed to give us the budget. The bill is to make sure he presents it to us on Dec. 2."\nIUSA sponsor Dean James Gibson said the executive stipend is primarily meant to compensate students for the time they spend with the organization which could be spent working at a job. He added that one of its other purposes is to provide income for housing during summer sessions of Congress. IUSA Vice President Judd Arnold said the stipend adds up to about $4,500 a year. Willke claims Greenberg did not attend summer sessions and therefore does not need the funds, especially since he has not fulfilled his duty of submitting a budget. \nGreenberg, on the other hand, said he has no problem submitting a budget, and feels this bill is a "very silly thing to do."\n"The only reason I didn't present the budget at the meeting (Monday) is because I had a very important test," Greenberg said. \nArnold asked why they had not taken action before and questioned why they decided to propose this bill just now. \n"I appreciate that they want to know where the money is being spent," Arnold said. "But it is six months after the budget was approved, and this is the only action they've done."\nArnold claims the controversy between these battling factions may be motivated by partisan conflict between Willke's Synergy party support and Greenberg and Arnold's Kirkwood party. \n"You see, they make IUSA their lives. So when our party (Kirkwood) beat them and got the most votes ever, they didn't take it so well," Arnold said.\nPersonal animosity between Willke and Greenberg may also play a role, Arnold said.\nWillke voiced concern that Greenberg was selected to represent students on the IU presidential search committee without formally applying earlier this month.\nGreenberg also claims Willke wants to bring attention to himself through this bill.\n"I think that Dietrich Willke wants to get his name on the front page of the paper, that's all," Greenberg said. \nWillke denies it was his motivation.\n"There should be no link between me not being appointed to the president search committee and my job as the SPEA Graduate Senator," Willke said. "I just want to make sure that the student money is well spent and that the public knows where it went. That is a right that we as members and students have. When I am in Congress or when I write about IUSA matters I represent the Graduate School of SPEA and not myself."\nGreenberg said he feels IUSA has bigger issues to deal with. \n"Our primary goal is to represent the student body," Greenberg said. "It is not in the best interest of the student body to quiver on internal matters when there are more important things that affect students."\nArnold agreed, and said Synergy is focusing on internal problems and has yet to deal with any external issues affecting IU.\n"We had only two minutes of something that affected students tonight," Arnold said. "All they care about is playing pretend politics."\nIn addition to the problems with the budget, accusations that Greenberg has mismanaged funds troubled Greenberg. \n"There is an underlying allegation that he mismanaged funds," Arnold said. "Blair doesn't spend money. He just writes the checks and every check must be co-signed by Dean Gibson. And he is a finance major; I think he knows what he is doing."\nPart of these accusations includes $914, which was spent through unallocated sources. \nWillke questioned the legality of spending these funds, but said he could not make a full opinion until he saw the budget.\n"It all depends where the unallocated funds went," Willke said. "Under some circumstances, it needs to be approved by Congress."\nGreenberg defended himself, saying nothing he did was against the IUSA constitution. \n"First of all, unallocated funds are permitted to be spent," Greenberg said. "If Congress wishes to pass a bill that says unallocated funds cannot be spent without their approval, then that's alright."\nArnold said the IUSA budget as a whole is made up of over $144,000, which does not include the $61,000 spent on the Corvette for Project Vote Hard. Arnold and Greenberg claim that mathematically, this is not an issue that needs to be addressed. \n"That is one half of one percent of the budget," Greenberg said, "and nothing wrong was done with it."\nAfter an audit of Greenberg's budget, Manager of the Student Organizational Accounts Linda Bruce released a statement in which she said she found, "nothing out of the ordinary."\nArnold said the issue was a frivolous one to worry about and said he hopes the issue will go away, but feels his party is not hurt by it. \n"I'm not worried. I'm kind of flattered we are the focus of these peoples lives," Arnold said. "We try to do good, but at the end of the night, it's just student government"