Funding eligibility is ruled on by the SFC and we ruled them ineligible. The Senate has no right to overturn this.

Funding eligibility for several groups and resource centers were once again put in limbo Sunday at the Student Association Senate Finance Committee Appeals meeting.

A panel of seven members comprised of students and Student Association senators ruled that votes to approve the groups and centers at the Jan. 28 Senate meeting violated bylaws, and the matter will go back to the Senate.

These groups and centers include the Panther Dance Team, the Center for Volunteerism and Student Leadership, the LINKS Peer Outreach and Mentoring Center, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Center and the Womens Resource Center.

SFC member Tobin Huibregtse cited several violations in the appeal, most notably that the Senate violated bylaws by approving funds to groups that did not present their case to the SFC. Problems arose over winter break when funding sessions were held and several groups did not attend to present their funding proposals to the group.

Funding eligibility is ruled on by the SFC and we ruled them ineligible. The Senate has no right to overturn this, Huibregtse said.

Huibregtse added that the atmosphere of the Jan. 28 meeting contributed to the Senates decisions.

There was a circus-like atmosphere at the meeting. The big turnout along with individual bias clearly influenced the Senate and their decisions, Huibregtse said.

Others feel that those who missed the meetings should have been given a chance to present their case later on. Instead they were simply deemed ineligible.

Groups cant make any presentations after they are declared ineligible. Its a flaw in the process, said Cassy Magar, the SA womens issues coordinator and a student senator.

In a separate appeal, the Panther Dance Team contended that it did not receive proper notification for the meeting and was unable to present their case over break. SA Vice President Jon Tingley said the meeting was pushed back over break due to the disintegration of the Office of Student Life Oversight Committee.

While most of that appeal was thrown out, the committee saw enough to send the case back to the Senate. The SFC stands by its initial ruling.

For them to claim they should be characterized as a resource center is outrageous. Its like saying the sky is green, said SFC member Dan Bahr.

Additionally, it was argued that senators violated bylaws by voting for approval of centers they work for. Sen. Antwan Jones is a member of CVSL and Sen. Papa-Kwesi Coleman works for LINKS.

Many of the funding approvals decided at the Jan. 28 meeting passed by a single vote.

Tingley disputes the interpretation of those bylaws.

The spirit of the law was to keep faculty members off of the SFC, not to keep students in various groups off of the committee, Tingley said.

The matter will go back to the Senate, which can vote to send final approval back to the SFC or choose to end deliberation. It cannot make any eligibility decisions or allocations itself. Both options will likely result in the aforementioned centers being declared ineligible, as the SFC previously ruled as such.

The final option, if those centers are declared ineligible, would be an appeal to Chancellor Carlos Santiagos office.

The issue will be dealt with further at a future Senate meeting.

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