NAACP loses club status

            UB's chapter of NAACP, one of the longest standing clubs that are recognized by the Student Association, came under scrutiny last week after rumors surfaced about money handling that went against club policies.

            The club was accused of selling raffle tickets for a Wii it had never purchased, neglecting to go through Sub Board for its raffle – something all SA clubs must do – and procuring an outside line of funding and a bank account that was never registered with SA.

            The club was suspended on Friday, and after an investigation that confirmed the allegations, the Senate voted Sunday to derecognize the club.

            'It's not something we wanted to do,' said SA President Ernesto Alvarado. '[NAACP] was one of our biggest and best clubs, but we needed everyone to know that no club is above the law. They broke three rules that called for derecognition, so we were forced to do it. It was fair and it set a precedent.'

            According to Senate chair Nischal Vasant, the vote was unanimous, but it was not made happily or lightly.

            'We were disappointed to make the decision, but we had to. It was the only fair thing to do,' Vasant said. 'The executive board admitted to their faults.'

            The former NAACP President, Kimberly K. Lindo feels that while the club did break SA rules they only did so due to lack of knowledge of them.

            'I really want membership and students to know that we didn't do anything shady. We didn't swindle students out of their money. It was a matter of miscommunication between our new treasurer and myself. If I had known we could have fixed the situation before it came to this,' she said.

            The club, which had over 60 members from UB and other neighboring universities, also came under scrutiny for its standing within the national NAACP organization.

            According to the New York State chapter of NAACP, the club was not recognized as a legitimate chapter because it did not meet the national standards, such as having a faculty adviser that was an NAACP member, attending state meetings and staying in contact with the Buffalo area NAACP coordinator.

            Alvarado, Vasant and SA Vice President Greg Robbins hope that this speed bump won't put a damper on the morale of the club.

            According to Robbins, SA is in the process of notifying the club's executive board about the process of reapplying for club status, as well as explaining the situation to current members so the club can start up again in the fall.

            'We want to bring the club back as soon as possible,' Robbins said. 'We have no interest in derecognizing clubs, but it's not fair to the other clubs who are following the rules. Every club is accountable for their actions.'

            Lindo feels that harsh punishment could have been given and an example for other clubs could have been set without the finalized derecognition.

            'I think derecognition is too far. We broke some rules that we didn't know about but we didn't deserve this. We could have been suspended,' she said. 'We were voted the best People of Color club three years in a row. We went above and beyond our duties as a club.'

            The club can apply for temporary status in the fall and SA will help it set up. SA also plans to bring in a New York State NAACP representative to help the club become a legitimate chapter.

            'We hope they'll be back, better than ever. They'll get a fresh start and end up a stronger club,' Alvarado said. 'We have faith.'

            Robbins agreed, adding, 'We needed to set a precedent that no club was above the law, but they're more than welcome to become an SA club again.'

            Lindo feels that the SA is not being as helpful as they're trying to come across as.

            'SA said they would help us but I haven't been contacted yet,' Lindo said.

            Alvarado pointed out that while derecognizing a club is not what SA wanted to happen, it was a necessary evil. If SA didn't act, then not only would it become acceptable for other SA clubs to abuse the system, but SA itself could have come under fire for its actions.

            'It was a necessary decision to keep SA running smoothly. It's a decision we didn't want to have to make, but we'll be sure to help them get set up so their second time around runs smoothly,' Alvarado said.

            Alvarado, Robbins and Vasant all agreed that this was a hard but necessary decision.