Account-ability

A Nov. 17 IDS article headlined "IUSA leaders defend fee distributions" piqued our interest. We learned that IUSA delegates the responsibility of distributing $350,000 in student-organization funds to a staff of nine board members and one director, known together as the IUSA Assisted Inter-organizational Development Department board. Four of the nine are elected by the student body while the remaining members are appointed by the incoming IUSA administration. We can only hope each new administration will appoint students best equipped for this important position, as opposed to engaging in favoritism.\nThat amount of money -- $350,000 -- is a lot. Where does it all go? Naturally, we explored the Internet for the voting records of the current administration. Who has applied for funding? How much has been granted or denied? How have the individual board members voted?\nThe answer? We don't really know. No public voting records, no public minutes, no readily accessible paper trail could be found online. Talking to IUSA AID by phone also failed to yield answers on the matter -- except for one striking statement from Jeff Evitts, the IUSA AID director for student organization funding: "We don't take minutes." \nIf that statement is true, that makes us even more concerned about how these funds are managed. We aren't saying IUSA AID's lack of transparency on the matter translates into inappropriate behavior. But the fact that students don't have ready access to check how their money is spent should raise a few eyebrows.\nThe language of the IUSA constitution suggests that the organization is more or less an autonomous entity. And while we at the editorial board are all about student autonomy, we're even more concerned about financial accountability. With such little transparency, many are left wondering where our money goes. How do we as students know that our dollars are being spent wisely and fairly? Let's not forget the $5,000 spent on anti-terrorism T-shirts and the $50,000 spent on a Corvette a few years ago. \nHow do we know that allocation is fair and that the causes deserving the most support are getting it? We don't. And if this information is buried somewhere in the public sphere, it's well-hidden. If we at the editorial board are having difficulty learning about it, we're betting other students are facing roadblocks, too.\nIUSA needs to be reminded that because the university it represents is a public institution, it is accountable to the students. What's so hard about publishing voting records and recording meeting minutes? If IU has taught us anything, it's that autonomy is a precious gift. If IUSA values that gift, it would be wise for it to act with more accountability. These funds are going to student groups, which are essential to the IU experience. \nSo please, IUSA, don't give the University cause to retract that sovereignty (internal audit, anyone?). Be transparent. Prove your blamelessness and continue to perpetuate IU's proud tradition of student autonomy.