An unpopular policy sanctioned by Student Association Executive Vice President David Belsky that would have student groups fined for failing to meet registration deadlines has been repealed, but many student groups are finding the alternative even more unreasonable and inconvenient.
Instead of paying the fine, late student groups will have to meet weekly with the SA’s new program coordinator, Dan Kaminsky, who will advise groups and monitor their activities throughout the semester.
The first measure, which demanded a $50 fee from any group that registered after the Dec. 7 deadline, was unpopular with many groups that were already contending with insufficient budgets. Binghamton Television and the Irish Student Union, which both registered late, said that it was hurtful for groups with less funding.
“I’m sure any organization on a tight budget would be a little upset,” said Marc Happes, the chief engineer of BTV.
Tim Norton, president of the Irish Student Union, said that a “$50 fine would have been really hurtful” for their group, which he said has a budget of $500 per year.
According to Belsky, the amount was never deducted from any organization’s account.
Concerns over the fee arose within the SA when it was discovered that such a provision was not outlined in the SA constitution, and that Belsky’s endeavors were not specifically condoned by any written rule. Belsky explained that he interprets the roles of his office loosely to allow for more action, and although he is – for now – consenting to a different policy, he doesn’t regret his initial decision.
Belsky said the main goal of switching to the new policy was to “make sure the groups that didn’t meet the deadline could come away with something positive instead of just the $50 slap on the wrist, that wasn’t really going to substantially benefit anyone, including the Student Association, at the end of the day.”
Many group leaders, however, see Belsky’s new policy as more of an inconvenience than a measure that will effectively solve their organizational problems.
Brian Hartough, president of BTV, said that while he could appreciate the need for the fee as a way to ensure that groups would register on time, he was unhappy with the requirement that he meet with Kaminsky on a weekly basis.
“Having to check in weekly with a program coordinator is more annoying than the fee,” he said.
While Belsky noted that the measure was put in place to curb the organizational problems that groups — especially ones that registered late – may have, group leaders emphasize that registering late is not a cry for help.
Benjamin Krakauer, the executive director of Harpur’s Ferry Ambulance Service, said that having to meet with a program coordinator was unnecessary, given the numerous accomplishments of his organization — such as receiving an award last year for best Ambulatory Service in New York State.
“The late paperwork was an isolated incident and I believe it should be treated as such, not as evidence of a systemic problem of disorganization. Harpur’s Ferry runs efficiently, but we’re also an extraordinarily busy organization,” he said.
Hartough agreed.
“The main problem I have with this particular policy is that handing in the group registration form late isn’t a good indicator of whether a group needs help,” he said. “If they actually knew what we were up to it would be obvious that BTV has made huge improvements over the last few years and doesn’t need guidance.”
Kaminsky said that he is dedicated to working with groups to fix any problems that they have, particularly with event planning. His experience, which includes being the vice president of his senior class at Ithaca College, is mainly with coordinating events, but says that he is looking forward to working on making groups more successful and efficient.
“I don’t know how the coordinator could help us other than maybe truly figuring out which groups really need help and which groups should be praised for what they are doing,” Hartough said.