The following is the email exchange that a concerned DePaul student has had with the SBA Executive Board. All names have been removed (we don't want this to be a personal issue or to offend anyone), but the actual emails are available by request from: WeTheStudentsDPU@gmail.com.
4/8/10, from SBA Exec. Board to concerned student:
[Concerned Student],
It's been brought to my attention that you have some concerns about the way the Student Bar Association is operating this year - concerns that you expressed today in front of your section. I believe they are in regards to the constitution, funding, and representation.
I invite you to come speak with [the SBA Exec Board] so we can clear up any confusion you might have, and answer your questions.
Please let me know if you'd like to schedule something.
Thanks!
4/10/10 Response from concerned student:
Hello [Exec. Board],
Yes, myself and some of our peers have concerns with the way the SBA
has been operating this year. I had expressed those concerns to my
DAC representative, who was great at hearing me out. But, I
was dissatisfied with the results of that discussion and felt left
with more questions than I began with.
Thank you for the invitation to speak with you, and for your concern
about my confusion. I appreciate it. It would have been nice to
invite all students to voice their concerns or confusions on how to
improve the constitution, before the amendment process began.
A lot of our questions might be answered if our peers on the SBA could
point us to where we can find our constitution and our budget. Before
we schedule a meeting, can you please send me the revised constitution
and budget?
Thank you,
[Concerned Student]
4/11/10 Response from SBA Exec. Board:
Hi [Concerned Student],
Thanks for getting back to me.
I've attached a copy of the SBA Constitution as it now stands after the amendment process. I also attached a document containing the results of the vote we had on the amendments. The vote is broken down for each amendment, showing which ones passed and by what margins. You'll see that the amendments we passed were generally focused on making our annual elections more fair and accessible.
I know you have concerns with the amendment process, and not just the results. Please remember that SBA meetings are open to absolutely anyone and everyone. We ask our DAC reps to publicize the dates/times of the meetings, but also schedule them every month according to the same formula so that students reliably know when we will meet without the DAC announcement. Any concern you have about DAC performance on this issue, though, could better be addressed by talking to the Chair of the DAC. Further, the SBA Secretary, sends out reminders for every meeting to all of the SBA Liaisons (members of the Liaison Committee we created this year). He also sends out the minutes to that committee, which spans nearly every student group at this school. If your organization was not sharing information with you, please address that internally.
Every meeting this year, we've had interested students who aren't SBA officers (executive or otherwise) show up to hear what we're doing, listen to the debates and discussions, and voice their concerns and positions. Our meetings where we discussed the constitution were held in this manner, as well. We began the process in January, so students had plenty of time to be informed of the process and to participate by voicing concerns and opinions. Each amendment was discussed and debated thoroughly with the assistance of non-officer attendees. You now have the results of the secret ballots submitted by all the voters. Please feel free to share that information.
The combination of DAC publicity, Liaison efforts, regularity of SBA meetings, and every students' opportunity to simply stop by the SBA office and ask questions should obviate the need to voice complaints by standing up in front of a class. We've provided plenty of opportunities for students to inform themselves and become involved.
The SBA budget, however, is not public. This is a deliberate decision that has remained consistent for quite a few years.
Every organization submits a budget request each semester. All groups are required to follow the procedures laid out by the SBA Treasurer, and the relevant provisions of our constitution. Throughout the process, our goal is to ensure the proper and effective use of student fees. To accomplish this, we set out a series of guidelines that help organizations formulate their requests. We try to provide as many guidelines as possible, making the process equitable and transparent to each group. Every organization seeking funding for an event costing more than $200 is required to meet with us to explain the costs. The allocations are made after deliberation by the SBA Treasurer, President, and both Vice Presidents; when I email the allocations to group leaders, I offer to explain every single decision we make - if I don't just explain it unprompted. Every organization is given the opportunity to voice complaints, and meet with us to ask us to reconsider their requests. The process is laid out in advance, and carries many protections against misuse of student fees. Each group is required to submit practical, clear budgets with justifiable costs and substantive events.
Publicizing the allocations made to each group would tamper with this. Regardless of how much money we allocate, and to whom, groups would inevitably complain about their awards and those of others. These complaints are unlikely to take into account differences in membership size, the adequacy of the budget submissions themselves (sufficiency of detail, inflation, etc.), redundancy, attendance issues, co-sponsorships, the existence of alternative sources of funding, and historical problems and successes with particular events and groups. The complexity of the process would be lost on those who aren't sitting down in front of the 400+ pages of budget requests and information. I understand that transparency suggests we should make everything public, but it would diminish the integrity of the process. Thus, instead of revealing publicly all of our decisions, we explain how they're made. It's a process I am proud of, and I stand firmly behind it.
If you have any remaining concerns or questions about this or any other issue, please let me or another SBA officer know. We want to do our best in representing students. If complaints aren't brought to us, we can't address them. Thank you for eventually taking the time to email me yours.
Enjoy the rest of your weekend - and good luck preparing for finals!
4/12/10 Response from Concerned Student:
Hello [SBA Exec. Board],
It seems some assumptions have been made about my simple request for
more information. First, let me be clear: I am not coming to you from
within an organization, as you seem to have implied by asking me to
address certain problems “internally.” I am coming to you as a
concerned student who wants to know how our budget is being allocated.
Second, you assumed that I was requesting information about how much
each student org was funded. I am not. I see your rationale for not
releasing a line-itemed budget, but what about general allocations
(i.e. the amount allocated to student orgs as a whole, and then the
amount used for the various SBA events/expenses)?
I am not at all concerned with the amount of money that each student
org gets funded. It is nice that you are concerned with the
relationships between the student organizations. While I think that
this characterization is paternalistic and undermines the maturity of
our peers, I will concede your point, only to argue the larger point
here: if there were a clear and consistent funding process that was
open to all students and that applied the same funding criteria to all
student organizations, I think students could reasonably understand
why groups get funded what they funded. In fact, worrying that our
peers would be up-in-arms if the budget were released implies that
there is something about the budget (whether it is inconsistent
funding criteria or something else) that would cause them to be upset
or frustrated. Fear that one’s decisions will be judged by fellow
students is part of being a student representative; it does not mean
you should shield those decisions from public knowledge. That is the
essence of a democratic system of operation.
But I should reiterate, stating that “the complexity of the process”
would be too much for our fellow students to grasp is quite demeaning,
and has no logical ground in an argument for keeping that information
private. Governing bodies make their budgets public, with more than
400 pages of requests and information, because it is part of their
duty as controlling those funds. I do not view the leaders in our
student body as mere complainers who would be unable to account for
complexities in funding processes.
Also, there are no provisions in the current constitution that outline
what the funding requirements should be. If I accept the information
you provided me in your previous email, this leaves every funding
decision for all students at the discretion of three or four
individuals who are not required to make that information public.
I understand that the SBA meetings are “open to the public.” That is
a nice statement, but doesn’t seem to reflect the practices of funding
allocation. Are there funding/budgetary decisions made at this
meeting? If so, are the guests asked to leave?
While it might be thought that the SBA obviates the need for me to
start a dialogue with my fellow students about concerns that affect
our entire student body, I would like to assert my right to do just
that. In fact, I figured it would be better to ask these questions
out in the open and let people know what I found out (which many were
shocked to hear, despite the SBA’s efforts you have reiterated in your
email) than it would be to talk to individuals and allow rumors to be
spread. I was not trying to do anything behind anyone’s back, and
hope that I made that clear by creating an open dialogue among my
peers.
Lastly, I find it interesting that these concerns were not important
enough for response when they were brought to the SBA executive board
by our DAC representative, myself, and a couple of other students. I
agree that if these concerns are not brought to the SBA, they cannot
be addressed. However, the condescending emails and circular
conversation have not addressed any of my concerns in a productive
way. I think this practice of “addressing” concerns without acting on
them is the reason many student organizations felt it necessary to
sign the open letter to the SBA last year.
Hopefully we can work together now and in the future to take some
steps toward making the SBA a more accessible and representative body
for our peers.
4/12/10 Response from SBA Exec. Board:
[Concerned student],
If you require any additional explanations or information, please meet with myself, [the SBA] President, and Vice President at 4pm on Wednesday. We will collectively be available at that time.
4/12/10 Response 2 from SBA Exec. Board:
Hi [Concerned student],
I am the Vice President of SBA. I have not responded to any of your e-mails yet, but I have read them all and been kept abreast of the situation by both [the Treasurer] and [the President].
It is clear from reading the e-mails that you have some grave concerns about some of the constitutional and budgetary processes that the SBA undertakes. This year we have prided ourselves in being as open and available as possible to any students who may have questions.
I wanted to echo [the Treasurer]'s invitation to you to meet with [the Treasurer], [the President], and myself to personally address your issues. All three of us have set aside that time specifically for your concerns. After reading the e-mails, it is evident that your questions and concerns are not being fully answered. Therefore, I think a personal meeting is really the only way we can solve this problem.
Please let us know if you are available to meet at this time.
Thank you,
[VP]
4/13/10 Response from concerned student:
Hi [VP],
Thank you for your email. Unfortunately, after checking with everyone, too many of us are not available tomorrow at 4pm. Also, we looked back over the email exchange, and we think that we could do nothing more at this meeting than re-ask the questions that remain unanswered in the emails. I know you mentioned that our concerns weren’t being adequately addressed, and I apologize that we can’t meet to discuss them, but if there’s something to add to [the Treasurer]'s explanations, please send those comments along.
Thanks again,
Concerned Student
The following is another email chain with the SBA Exec. Board and another concerned student:
4/8/10 Email from concerned student:
Hi [Treasurer],
I am a 1L student at DePaul. I am sure you're really busy, but I was wondering if I could get an electronic copy of the budget for SBA, because I can't seem to find it anywhere, but I am sure it's posted somewhere and I am just not as tech-savvy as I would like to be!
Anyway, I figured I could just shoot you an email for the attachment rather than continue to search aimlessly :-)
Thanks so much,
[Concerned Student]
Response from SBA Exec. Board:
Hi [Concerned Student],
Thank you for bringing your questions to me. I'd love to schedule a meeting with you, (our SBA President), and (SBA Vice President).
Can you let me know your availability for next week?
Thanks!
4/11/10 Response from concerned student:
Hi [Treasurer],
Sorry it has taken me a couple days to respond, things are starting to get really busy preparing for finals.
I'm also sorry if my email was unclear, I actually don't have any questions that would require a meeting, I was just looking for the general budget breakdown (ie- not a line-item budget, but just how the student fees that are taken out each semester are allocated). So for example, how much of the student fees go to social events, student orgs, and other SBA events, etc.?
4/11/10 Response from SBA Exec. Board:
Hi [Concerned student],
The SBA budget is not public. This is a deliberate decision that has remained consistent for quite a few years. I can explain the process, but not the allocations we make.
4/12/10 Response from Concerned Student:
Dear [Treasurer],
I want to make sure I understand this correctly. The reason I cannot find out the general allocation of our funds, such as percentages that go to student organizations as a whole, SBA social events, and other SBA events, is because of tradition?
I am not looking for an itemized breakdown, I would just like to know how my money, as an individual student who had no choice but to pay $40/year to the SBA, is allocated for these categories.
My concern is that I have been told by our DAC rep (because at the time I couldn’t find a copy of the constitution) that the executive board decides how to allocate the money (ie- is it 50% to social events, 50% to student organizations?), and as current treasurer, you can’t tell me this general information?
The constitution (I have since obtained a copy, after some searching) does not say that these decisions about general budgetary objectives have to remain private; it seems to only discuss the general process for student organizations to apply for funding and who makes those decisions.
So my question is, where can I find this rule that the treasurer and rest of the executive board (either past or current) keep this information from the students?
If the decision was made in past years, could you please send me the minutes or provision where this rule is located?
Sincerely,
Concerned Student
4/12/10 Response from SBA Exec. Board:
[Concerned Student],
No, that's not what I said. I said it's a decision that has been made every year for quite some time. I didn't say that's why we operate in this fashion. I'm merely stating that it's a policy that is consistently upheld because it maintains the integrity of the allocation process.
If you'd like to meet to discuss the budget and the various rules or procedures by which we abide, please feel free to meet with me, [the SBA] President, and [the SBA] Vice President. We will be available at 4pm on Wednesday to discuss any concerns you might have.
Thank you,
[Treasurer]
4/12/10 Response from concerned student:
Dear [Treasurer],
Would it be possible to get a copy of the minutes from this year's SBA meeting where the vote took place regarding keeping the budget private?
Also, I have asked all of my questions, so I am not sure a meeting would be beneficial.
Thanks,
[Concerned Student]
Response from SBA Exec. Board:
[Concerned Student],
There wasn't a vote on keeping the budget private. It was decided informally at the first budget meeting by me, the President, and both Vice Presidents. However, if you'd like any of the minutes from our general board meetings, you can access them by contacting the (SBA Secretary).
Response 2 from SBA Exec. Board:
Hi [Concerned Student],
I am the Vice President of SBA. I have not responded to any of your e-mails yet, but I have read them all and been kept up to date on the situation by [the Treasurer] and [President].
I understand, after reading your e-mails, that you have some grave concerns about the budgetary process. This year, we have prided ourselves on making ourselves available to answer any questions a student may have.
I fear, however, after reading the e-mails, that the communication between us and you has broken down. As someone who has only read both sides of the e-mails and has not been actively involved in the communication, I have noticed that your tone has gotten increasingly negative and accusatory. Perhaps this is not what you meant; sometimes things can get lost in translation when communicating via e-mail. Therefore, we would prefer from now on to address any questions you may have for us in person.
[The Treasurer], [President} and myself would be more than happy to set aside some time for you to ask any questions and raise any concerns you may have. I know [the Treasurer] suggested Wednesday at 4:00. If this is not convenient time for you, please let us know what your availability is.
Thank you,
[VP]
These issues are not new. The following is a copy of the open letter that was sent to the SBA last year, on April 7, 2009, and was signed by almost every student organization.
To whom it may concern,
We write collectively as a group of law student organizations that wish to express an interest and desire to participate in the SBA constitutional amendment process. We have found that a number of law student organizations share some common concerns regarding the relationship between the SBA and other student organizations, as well as the College of Law student body in general. Therefore, we have briefly set out a number of suggestions that we hope the SBA will seriously consider as it proceeds with the amendment process.
Funding: We request more transparency in the disbursement of funding to student organizations. This could be achieved through very specific and clear guidelines and criteria regarding the funding request process. For example, whether the amount of funding an organization is awarded is based on membership, number of events, attendance at events, and/or visibility on campus. Additionally, we ask that the disbursement amounts for each organization be made public so that other organizations can see where they stand with respect to other organizations. This would allow organizations with fewer funds to communicate with other, better funded organizations, in order to find ways to qualify for more funding in the future. Finally, we request a formal appeals process with clear and specific guidelines so that organizations would have the opportunity to be granted additional funding if they are able to meet the criteria for a successful appeal.
SBA Events: SBA, as representatives of the student body, organizes events for all of us, like the Boat Cruise and the Barrister's Ball. We propose that the SBA seek basic input from other student groups for major events that exceed a certain cost (what that cost threshold would be could to be determined at a later date). This could simply be an email to other groups with the who, what, where, when, and how much for the proposed event. We feel this would help to alleviate future confusion and avoid incidents like the situation with the Congress. Additionally, we believe it will foster a stronger relationship between our very diverse student groups, the SBA, and the student body.
Student Organization Participation: We request that the SBA allow for representatives from each organization to attend SBA meetings periodically. It may be that SBA could designate certain meetings at which representatives from other student groups would be able to attend and participate, in order to get an idea of what the SBA is working on, how their group might become involved, and voice any concerns the members of the group might have. Again, we believe this would help to foster a sense of inclusiveness in the DePaul community and create a more amiable relationship between our SBA members and other members of the student body.
This letter was written cooperatively and signed on to by the organizations listed below. We hope that the SBA will seriously consider our suggestions and requests, as we believe these changes would create a more cooperative and supportive environment in the Law School overall. Our members are at the disposal of the SBA and would be happy and willing to assist the SBA in the amendment process or any other future endeavor. We look forward to working, together with the SBA, in the coming year.
