Several secured campus media groups are organizing opposition to Student Union legislation to reform the club funding system, saying it will give too much power to the Finance Board and not allot the media groups enough money.WBRS, the Archon and BTV are spearheading a campaign this week against the impending student vote, which starts Wednesday. The groups are the first to mobilize against the proposed reforms, which have gained steam all year.

BTV President Ari Schnitzer '07 said he is "very concerned" about not getting enough money from the F-Board to operate.

"Students don't really realize the full scope of the amendment because the Union isn't giving them the full picture," he said.

Schnitzer said the Union's plan does not mean more money for more clubs, as they allege. The only way, he said, for clubs to receive more funding would be to increase the Student Activities Fee, which funds club activity on campus.

The proposed amendment could potentially create up to and exceeding $100,000 for chartered groups through budget cuts to the more-wealthy secured groups. The actual number would depend on semesterly allocations to the secured groups, which would be decided on a case-by-case basis.

Six of the eight secured groups, excluding BTV and Waltham Group, will see significant cuts in their funding if the amendment, which requires a two-thirds approval of voting students, passes.

Schnitzer, who is also a member of the chartered ski team, said, "[The ski-team] can't get proper money for training, coaches and transportation, but I don't think the amendment will address these concerns."

Union President Jenny Feinberg '07 addressed the opposition by saying, "very little of their input offered any constructive changes."

"It's what I expected," she said. "I'm surprised they started so late."

Rebecca Gedalius '06, the editor in chief of the Archon and a copyeditor for the Justice, agreed with Schnitzer.

"That's a very simplistic way to look it," she said of the Union's guarantee that the amendment will provide more money for more clubs.

Gedalius said she resents that the Union wants to reduce the Archon's budget. She said Union officials have told her other schools are able to print their yearbook at a cheaper price.

"To base our new funding level on other schools without equipping us with the resources or knowledge [those schools] have is ridiculous," Gedalius said.

Schnitzer said the amendment's language is ambiguous and leaves too much up to the F-Board for interpretation. "Whatever the Union says, unless it's absolutely written in the constitution, F-Board can do something totally different," he said.

WBRS General Manager Julie Craghead '07 said the amendment doesn't ensure clubs will get the funds they need.

"Just because [the F-Board] will have more money, doesn't mean F-Board will allocate it properly," she said.

Although Craghead said WBRS and other concerned groups met with Union Officials, she said they used "very little" of their input when drafting the final amendment.

"We feel our budget is being reduced by a disproportioned amount," she said.

WBRS's budget will be reduced to $62,500 compared to this academic year's budget of about $87,000.

But Feinberg singled out WBRS as a group that doesn't spend money responsibly.

"Why do they have the authority to buy unlimited pens, Frisbees and T-shirts regardless of any needs?" she said. "It's embarrassing and unfortunate when [chartered] groups are scrambling for just a small amount of money to exist."

Feinberg mentioned how while she was discussing the reform with students, most students said they didn't watch BTV or listen to WBRS.

"If students don't feel invested in them, then why should we spend so much money on them?" she asked.

Connie Chu '08, the president of the Brandeis Buddhist Community and an event coordinator for the Boston Cultural Arts Club, both chartered groups, said the amendment benefits smaller groups who need more funding. However, she said the F-Board may not be able to manage "the influx of all the clubs coming for money."

Union officials are also campaigning this week in support of the amendment, going door-to-door speaking to students, handing out pamphlets and hanging fliers around campus.

"We can't put a band-aid on a broken system," Feinberg said. "We needed to propose a long-term drastic change to a system badly in need of reform."

Many chartered clubs, who would have more money available to them under the proposal, support the amendment.

Samantha Andler '09 said she is a member of many chartered clubs who struggle to get enough money.

"It's kind of ridiculous that certain [secured] clubs are getting so much money," she said.

Brandon Luk '06, a former programming chair for the Intercultural Center, said he recalls instances when chartered groups he worked with didn't receive enough funding for food and speakers.

Luk said the amendment keeps secured groups "on their toes."

"If they're honest, they should have no problems," Luk said.

Max Yarmolinsky '06, president of the Chess Club, said under the current system it has been difficult for his club to get enough funding.

"While other universities would pay for hotels and airfares, it was out of the question for us to even ask for those things," he said.

Voting on the amendment begins noon Wednesday and continues until 4 p.m. Friday.

Editor's Note: The Justice is a secured organization receiving six percent of the Student Activities Fee. The Justice's funding would be cut by approximately 25 percent under the reform.
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