Letter to the Editor: Ani and Alex stand for sensible funding reform

April 18, 2013

Student group funding is a crucially important issue for our campus. As leaders of student groups on campus, we have all — at one point or another — struggled to navigate the perceived bureaucracy of ASG’s funding system. Year in and year out, we are frustrated by a system that can seem to reward ASG “insiders” and can sometimes create a chasm between those who have and those who do not. This Friday, we will be voting for Ani and Alex because, among many other reasons, they offer sensible reforms to the ASG funding system that will benefit all groups.

Ani and Alex support an increase in funding for B-Status groups only after the funding system is refined to increase efficiency and transparency. One of the ideas that has emerged from this campaign is to arbitrarily reduce regulations on the ‘largest and most well established’ groups. This proposal would serve to open loopholes only for groups that already have resources, which in turn would make it more difficult for other groups to navigate the bureaucracy and obtain money to fund their events. Ani and Alex will refine the entire system to benefit all groups, through smarter regulations, better resources, and increased collaboration. Like other candidates, they understand that often what ASG doesn’t do is as important as what it does do, but they believe that freedoms should be given to all groups equally. There are hundreds of groups on this campus that put on amazing programming with limited resources, and these groups are the heart and soul of our community. Changes to the funding system that reduce restrictions on only some groups will create greater divides in our community, rather than uniting it. From Ani and Alex’s first day at Northwestern, they have been working to bridge gaps and build community. Ani and Alex have the experience and vision needed to link perspectives and make our community more inclusive. They want to do more with the money we have not by dividing us further, but by incentivizing collaboration and programming across communities. If your student group would benefit from a more transparent and fair funding model, join us in voting Ani and Alex on Friday.

April McFadden
Incoming Coordinator, FMO

Lucia Leon
Outgoing Co-President, Alianza

Darlene Reyes
Co-President, Alianza

Sobeida Peralta
Co-President, Alianza

Paul Koscumb
Co-President, Rainbow Alliance

Red Lhota
Co-President, Rainbow Alliance

Peter Limthongviratn
Outgoing External President, APAC

Sam Maeng
Incoming External President, APAC

Hina Muneeruddin
President, McSA

Yousuf Ahmad
Former Co-President, McSA

Ala Salameh
Former Co-President, McSA

Allison Wasserman
Executive Co-Chair, Studio 22