2008 Woodie Awards
Letters to the editor
Issue date: 10/12/07 Section: Editorials
ASG vote denies Habitat for Humanity trip funds
Last spring there was a front page article in the Miami Report praising the work of Miami University Habitat for Humanity members that gave up a week of their winter break to help with the rebuilding in New Orleans. This fall there have been several feature articles in the Oxford newspapers commending the efforts of the Miami students that taught English for a month this summer to underprivileged children in Tanzania through the African School Advancement Program (ASAP). Sadly, these incredible service trips and their promotion of our university may soon be gone as a result of the recent decision made by our Associated Student Government.
ASG has decided it will no longer help fund the Habitat for Humanity service trips to the Gulf Coast, ASAP's service trip to Africa, or any other student organizational event taking place over winter, spring, or summer break. I fear that by eliminating funding to organizations that have events over our extended breaks from school, we are eliminating the opportunities for students to go beyond the Oxford area.
By supporting the work of service organizations in other parts of the country and on other parts of the globe, we allow students to learn more actively about the world around them, to understand the societal conditions that hold others back, and, most importantly, to be drivers of change to help those less fortunate. Students come back from these trips as ambassadors for change and with a renewed sense of social responsibility. How does our university expect to succeed in its goal of creating "global citizens" if we eliminate these opportunities for our student organizations?
I fear that by setting these precedents, our funding committee is losing site of its true purpose. Our funding committee has been entrusted with the responsibility of allocating nearly $600,000 in event funds to the many student organizations on our campus. That $600,000 represents a portion that you and I have paid to this university to receive a well-rounded education; thus, we should all have a vested interest in how it is used. The goal of our funding committee is to determine how to best allocate those funds to students organizations whose events bring value to our students and to our university, promote our university as a whole, and, ultimately, help our
students leave here as more well-rounded individuals.
Based on the tentative funding allocations for cycle 1, the funding committee has decided that the events put on by 55 student organizations are a worthy use of money. Included in that list is funding for a rafting trip for the Geological Society, a trip to New York for the Dance Theatre, and more than $6,000 for the Dance Team to receive new shoes and uniforms. What you won't see on that list is even a dime going toward some of Miami's finest service organizations.
If you do not like the way your money is being spent, I urge you to let your voice be heard by your elected student senators, the ASG president, and our administration.
Brian Wellman
President of the Miami Chapter Habitat for Humanity
wellmabt@muohio.edu
Last spring there was a front page article in the Miami Report praising the work of Miami University Habitat for Humanity members that gave up a week of their winter break to help with the rebuilding in New Orleans. This fall there have been several feature articles in the Oxford newspapers commending the efforts of the Miami students that taught English for a month this summer to underprivileged children in Tanzania through the African School Advancement Program (ASAP). Sadly, these incredible service trips and their promotion of our university may soon be gone as a result of the recent decision made by our Associated Student Government.
ASG has decided it will no longer help fund the Habitat for Humanity service trips to the Gulf Coast, ASAP's service trip to Africa, or any other student organizational event taking place over winter, spring, or summer break. I fear that by eliminating funding to organizations that have events over our extended breaks from school, we are eliminating the opportunities for students to go beyond the Oxford area.
By supporting the work of service organizations in other parts of the country and on other parts of the globe, we allow students to learn more actively about the world around them, to understand the societal conditions that hold others back, and, most importantly, to be drivers of change to help those less fortunate. Students come back from these trips as ambassadors for change and with a renewed sense of social responsibility. How does our university expect to succeed in its goal of creating "global citizens" if we eliminate these opportunities for our student organizations?
I fear that by setting these precedents, our funding committee is losing site of its true purpose. Our funding committee has been entrusted with the responsibility of allocating nearly $600,000 in event funds to the many student organizations on our campus. That $600,000 represents a portion that you and I have paid to this university to receive a well-rounded education; thus, we should all have a vested interest in how it is used. The goal of our funding committee is to determine how to best allocate those funds to students organizations whose events bring value to our students and to our university, promote our university as a whole, and, ultimately, help our
students leave here as more well-rounded individuals.
Based on the tentative funding allocations for cycle 1, the funding committee has decided that the events put on by 55 student organizations are a worthy use of money. Included in that list is funding for a rafting trip for the Geological Society, a trip to New York for the Dance Theatre, and more than $6,000 for the Dance Team to receive new shoes and uniforms. What you won't see on that list is even a dime going toward some of Miami's finest service organizations.
If you do not like the way your money is being spent, I urge you to let your voice be heard by your elected student senators, the ASG president, and our administration.
Brian Wellman
President of the Miami Chapter Habitat for Humanity
wellmabt@muohio.edu
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