ASG's funds picked apart

It only costs each student $1, but many say it's a dollar that could be better spent.

The Association of Student Governments receives $1 in fees from every full-time student enrolled in the UNC system.

The fee, proposed by former ASG President Andrew Payne, was implemented in 2002 upon approval by the Board of Governors.

"The association transformed when it received the dollar fee," Payne said. "It's a young organization and a young organization run by students."

This year's student leaders are learning to manage $170,000, most of which goes toward travel expenses, officer stipends, office space and professional staff.

But UNC-Chapel Hill Student Body President Matt Calabria thinks the group's focus needs to change, and he has called for a critical review of the association's budget.

He recently suggested to ASG President Amanda Devore that money should go toward programs instead of inefficient spending.

"The ASG spends its financial and time resources to deal with internal problems on campuses," Calabria said. "And UNC-Chapel Hill often doesn't see the benefit of a lot of these resources."

Getting started

Payne said the association's budget was built on three premises.

The first was to hire an executive administrator - a measure struck down by the BOG after concerns arose about professionals exercising power over the association.

Since then, the ASG has hired an office professional who serves as a liaison between members.

The second goal was to make the presidency available to all students.

"In the old association ... the president had to pay for a lot of things out of their pocket," Payne said. "That virtually eliminated a lot of people who could hold that position."

The last goal - accomplished shortly after the fee was implemented - was to establish an office in a central location. The group picked Raleigh so it could remain close to the N.C. General Assembly.

Students in charge of the association still are developing ways to hold themselves accountable, and Devore has been tracking and publicizing more detailed line items within the budget to encourage full disclosure.

Search for definition

Perhaps critics are right in saying the ASG is in need of some guidance - monetary and otherwise.

Last week, Devore proposed two resolutions, which supported lowering the age required to run for office and establishing same-day voter registration, to the BOG's public affairs committee.

Committee members told her these proposals had no direct connection to UNC system and moved on to the next item of business.

This is not the first time the ASG has been described as out of touch.

During his tenure as UNC-CH's student body president, Matt Tepper expressed frustration with ASG proposals that he said weren't in the University's best interest.

Among these was the group's response to a possible 4 percent increase in the out-of-state enrollment cap. The ASG sent a resolution to the BOG opposing the increase - Tepper disagreed.

After heated debate, the BOG decided there was not enough consensus on the issue and quickly moved into tuition talks.

It is during this year's tuition process that Calabria has seen the deepest divide between his administration and the ASG, which continues to fight tuition increases.

"The issue is that there should be more debate. There's this assumption that student leaders will be against tuition increases - that is false."

Need for change

Tepper and Calabria both said the ASG lacks efficiency.

"We're trying to be as responsible to the Board of Governors and General Assembly as we can," Calabria said. "We need to refocus the quality of our efforts there."

He also said the ASG needs to establish term limits for certain universities' holding executive posts.

The past three ASG presidents have hailed from N.C. State University, while several of their predecessors came from UNC-CH.

But Payne said limits might restrict qualified candidates from running. "The leadership waxes and wanes. Let the group decide that and not make it a hard mandate."

The main attraction of the ASG presidency is the exclusive power as a nonvoting member of the BOG. Calabria said term limits would ensure each campus access to that power.

Starting line

When elected, Tepper sent a letter to then-ASG President Jonathan Ducote that outlined several reforms he believed would benefit the association.

"We didn't get much reaction. ... It wasn't the overall reform that we would have wanted," Tepper said.

Both Calabria and Devore say they would rather this not be the case this year. "We hope to set up a meeting very soon ... and really sit down and hammer out these issues," Calabria said.

Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.