Amid controversy surrounding funding for student-run philanthropic activites, the Boston University Allocations Board officials released its end-of-year report in an attempt to show increased communication with students.
AB officials also recapped the improvements they made to budget distribution in the report released April 18, including several specific clauses outlining which gatherings will and will not receive funding, said AB Chairwoman Anjali Taneja.
“This report was presented not only to the students but also to the administration so we can show how we’ve become a better organization within the past year and what measures we’ve taken,” Taneja, a Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences senior, said. “It’s to get rid of the disconnect between AB and the student body as well as AB and the administration.”
In March, the AB and the Student Activities Office came under criticism for a new policy in which student groups are required to return funds provided for philanthropic activities before proceeds can be donated to a charity.
At a community-wide Town Hall Meeting on March 5, many students voiced concerns about SAO officials’ decision to implement this change.
Taneja said starting in the fall 2013 semester, SAO officials will allow only profits raised beyond initial funding from AB to be donated toward charity. She said this decision has caused controversy among student groups.
“It will be affecting how we operate in the future, so there are going to be several discussions,” Taneja said. “… One thing that’s being discussed at the moment is for the money not to come back to AB to recirculate within groups, but rather to stay in the student groups’ accounts.”
Overall, Taneja said the board has put significant effort into putting together the report.
Several student group leaders said they are pleased with AB officials’ increased attempts at clarity.
Saurabh Mahajan, Student Government spokesman and director of advocacy, said communication between the AB and SG is key to better decision-making.
“When the leadership bodies on campus, like Student Government, the Allocations Board, RHAs, college governments, when they come together, when they communicate better, what you get is decisions for the student body that are better made and that are better overall,” Mahajan said.
Edmo Gamelin, a College of Arts and Sciences junior, said he attended many events funded by the AB this year and he is pleased with the decisions the board officials have made.
“If they had a larger budget, they would be able to fund more small events throughout the year as well as events that occur during the last few weeks,” he said. “Overall, I feel that the Allocations Board, when they are able to act independently, is often quite judicious in their expenditures.”
The end-of-year report also outlined a new travel policy, wherein AB officials decided only to fund trips that would help the general student body rather than just those participating in the trip, according to the report. The revamped policy also included stipulations that the AB would not fund trips that could instead be held on campus.
“We started funding on a per-person basis,” Taneja said. “That means if we allocated a group $200 on a basis of $10 per person for 20 people, and if they ended up taking two people, they could only sign off on $20 rather than $200. That made it a more efficient process, and we were able to recirculate the money a lot more.”
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