THE CARROLL NEWS: LSO running low

LSO running low
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Cassandra Larson on 12 March, 2008 04:00:00
 
Aggressive spending in the first semester has left the Legion of Student
Organizations near broke and some organizations struggling to find the funding
they need.
LSO is a resource that provides financial assistance for all recognized student
organizations. Groups can request funding for events that require food and
supplies, as well as trips and additional internal costs.
Kappa Delta, one of five sororities on John Carroll University’s campus,
will not be reimbursed for plane tickets to their Leadership Conference.
“The request made for the conference was rejected, while other
organizations with similar objectives had their requests approved,” said
sophomore Annie Ivans, treasurer and LSO representative for Kappa Delta.
“Being able to attend our conference is an honor. It enriches our sorority
with the tools it needs to become an even more active student
organization.”
Earlier this month, student organizations were faced with a dilemma regarding
their financial futures: the LSO didn’t have enough money. “The
problem that LSO had faced at the beginning of this semester was having more
money requested than what was available in our budget,” said sophomore
Andrea Capasso, vice president of student organizations. “This was solved
by giving every organization that was requesting money the opportunity to lower
their request before and during this past week’s meeting.”
Not only does distribution of LSO money impact Kappa Delta, but Greek Life as a
community. Like Kappa Delta, the Panhellenic Council was also denied funding for
their leadership conference. The Panhellenic Council is the governing body for
the sororities on campus, containing members from the different chapters.
“I believe that there should be more equality on who gets funding,”
said Ivans. “Greek Life was attacked for most of the requests presented.
Like any other organization, Greek Life also needs assistance with funding and
we would appreciate the support.”
LSO also provides funding for service organizations on campus, including Seeds
of Hope. Seeds of Hope is a mentoring program in which JCU students spend one
afternoon a week with children from inner-city middle schools. They are also an
organization that did not receive all the funding that they could’ve used.
“If we were able to request more funding, we could provide more programs
and activities for the kids to partake in,” said junior Erin McBride,
president of Seeds of Hope. “We would love to take the kids to ball games,
the zoo, museums and other places that they aren’t able to afford to go
themselves.”
The majority of the financial assistance Seeds of Hope receives each semester
is invested towards transportation for the children.
“The budget of the service fund does not compare to the general
fund,” said McBride. “Because of the difference, we are unable to
ask for as much financial assistance as other groups can.”
The Service Fund began with $5,000 this fall, and $2,672 was left for the
spring semester; $2,178 was requested by service organizations, with a remainder
of only $494.
In the fall, LSO began with $60,000 in the General Fund. The money is divided
up between the two semesters, and the budget runs on a school year calendar.
$18,457.00 was available in the General Fund this spring and $19,289.00 was
requested from the General Fund, going over the LSO budget by $832.
“It is up to only the LSO representatives to vote on each request for
money,” said sophomore Shaylyn Mahoney, vice president for business
affairs.
“LSO representatives hold all of the power of allocating the funds and it
is their duty to vote conscientiously as to where the money they vote on will be
going,” said Mahoney.
“Once a request is passed, the money goes into the organization’s
account and is ready for use.”
Organizations are able to request funding by filling out a budget request form.
These forms are then reviewed by Capasso to make sure that the LSO guidelines
are being followed.
Every student organization has one LSO representative that is required to
attend a monthly meeting in which the requests are presented and voted upon.
In order to pass a request, said Mahoney, a majority of 50 percent plus one is
required.
Requests of $3,000 or more need a two-thirds majority to pass.
LSO has also an administrative body called the Student Organization Review
Board, which is led by Capasso.
The other SORB members include Mahoney, Auditor for Student Organizations
sophomore Matt Pinto, and Coordinator for Organization Development and
Communication junior Katie Reece.
The SORB ensures that LSO process runs smoothly and solves problems such as the
situation that just occurred.
Many student organizations were forced to reconfigure their budgets after the
March 5 meeting.
As a result, there is currently $730 remaining in the General Fund.
Two of the original requests by student organizations were denied, which will
allow for the distribution of more money.
“In the future, I’d like to see the amount of money in the service
fund number rise so we have a greater pool to pull from,” said McBride.
“Service is huge on our campus and if it is so important, why
shouldn’t there be more money in the fund?”
In order to prevent a financial problem from reoccurring, Capasso and the SORB
have been working to come up with a few solutions for the future.
“The Student Organization Review Board is working on restructuring
LSO,” said Capasso.
“Right now, we are researching how other Ohio and Jesuit colleges about
our size handle finances and allocation for organizations.
“This should be done by the end of the semester and put in place in the
fall,” she said.
The money within LSO is generated through the Student Activity Fee, which is a
part of every student’s tuition.
Although the SAF is being raised by $110, it is unknown how this will impact
LSO funding for next year.
Student organizations will be able to submit their final financial requests on
Tuesday, March 18.
The LSO representatives will reconvene after break on March 26 at 5 p.m.