Financial aid for organizations

The Road Goes Ever On
    By Rob Huelin

Most undergraduates join a couple of clubs, spend one or two semesters with some responsibility, and then go back to their homework. I am something of an anomaly--next semester will be only my second without an office in some group. It has been mostly worth it, but one aspect of my extracurricular experiences here at Yale will always bother me.

You see, Yale doesn't fund its undergraduate organizations at all.

Any group can get money from the UOFC (up to $500 a semester), but that money comes as reimbursements, and it is doled out only for very specific reasons. I'm sure some member of the UOFC will write a letter defending the organization--I really don't care. They miss the point. Of all the money floating around, only a teeny bit trickles down to students, and then only for table-tenting and miscellaneous expenses. None for food, or for travel, or for plenty of other things.

This is one of the University's biggest failings. It has lots of nice, possible reasons for its policy. Maybe it doesn't want to feel compelled to control student groups (God knows the corporate beast of Yale could never give money to students as a means of furthering an integral part of their education), or perhaps Yale is afraid of the financial repercussions of mismanagement. I'm betting on the latter reason, knowing how cheap and petty this school can be. Terrified of the law, Yale has abdicated its role as advisor and teacher of student activities.

What the University fails to realize is that the students are not only more likely to make mistakes without the intelligent guidance that Yale could provide, but are also less capable of dealing with their problems. I have witnessed egregious financial mismanagement, incompetence, errors of inexperience, conflict with Yale's legal office (yes, Yale threatened to sue me instead of helping to fix a problem I inherited from people long since graduated), and the painful sight of a student shelling out personal money when funds were not available.

Some of you will no doubt wonder why Yale should try to make a difference. It comes down to a belief that Yale has a responsibility to aid its students in furthering their practical knowledge. Yes, it is important to learn business skills through selling ads for a student publication, appealing to elected officials for funding as a political group, writing to alumni, hoping for a donation, and just managing the books for an established group. I am happy to have had these experiences. But I have also seen the time and energy it takes, the weight of responsibility, and the danger of legal repercussions for unaware 19- and 20-year olds. I have even seen people steal money (they were caught) and put Yale students, the University, and New Haven in some very tricky spots.

All these situations can be avoided. First, make legal counsel available to students and insist that any group with a non-profit income of more than $10,000 per year meet with the legal advisors four times a year for consultation and advice.

Second, give every student group a set sum, maybe $1000, for the year. Yale can stipulate that it must be spent during the school year or returned at the end of the year. If this sum is too high, make it less, perhaps $500, although then it would be better to allow the groups to keep all of the money to build funds.

Third, make classes in basic accounting and investment available to the student body. I know that most of it is easy to learn, but there is no reason a class couldn't be a little more sophisticated than how to write a check. Yale could even take the intelligent step of mandating these classes for anyone responsible for the money Yale gives out.

Finally, Yale could take the tremendous step of buying some cheap cars and having a legitimate motor pool. I have seen dozens of student groups wasting money and risking arrest to rent vans and travel to events where they meet other students who are provided for, safely and efficiently, by their university.

Yale is foolishly willing to allow its students to risk arrest and financial ruin because it is too cheap and cowardly to provide mature guidance. I have met with all the administrators, and they are nice and try to be helpful, but the plain fact is they miss the boat. Yale does not have to dictate policy or action to student groups if it funds them. Instead, it could supplement the wonderful real-world education these activities provide with some practical, and experienced, advice. Sounds like a comprehensive educational experience to me.

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