Editorial: LSO deficit

The Legion of Student Organizations (LSO) is a branch of the Student Union that handles the distribution of funding to various student clubs and groups. However, the LSO has hit a financial dilemma. At the beginning of the school year the group started out with $60,000 to use towards organizations requesting money for activities. Currently, there is only $730 left in their budget. This deficit in funds has already caused the denial of some groups’ requests and will continue to affect the financial demands of various organizations. The LSO, along with the help of the Student Union, needs to create a plan for the future that offers equal allocation throughout the school year.

The Student Organization Review Board (SORB) is an administrative branch of the LSO that is typically supposed to assist the LSO in solving problems and figuring out disbursement.
The LSO though has failed to utilize this branch efficiently. Rather than keep track of expenses at the beginning of the year, the LSO continued to hand out money. This situation can easily be avoided by simply keeping inventory of which organizations ask for money and how much they request.  The group could give every organization an opportunity to obtain extra money before handing out money to groups that have already gotten a portion of the fund. Also, keeping tabs or putting a general cap on requests can also alleviate some of the drastic funding.

Additionally, the LSO could also utilize some of the other resources on campus. John Carroll University is home to one of the best business schools in the U.S. and is stocked with individuals and groups that are knowledgeable in finance and management. The group could recruit these helpful sources for guidance or simply meet with them a few times a semester to ensure that they are on track with spending. This deficit is a situation that is both avoidable and easy to correct with the proper steps.