The Student Association provides something that few other SUNY schools do: vans for student use. But with that power comes responsibility. Each van's mileage is checked every time it is taken out and returned, and students are reimbursed for gas money. But over the last year, there are thousands of miles that are unaccounted for, many listed only as "adjustments" on the official register.
There are several cases of clubs taking out vans and putting sometimes hundreds of miles on the vehicles, for instance, the ski club, which put over 5,500 miles on a single van over a 45-day stretch, only 4,500 miles of which can be accounted for.
The entry for the Asian American Student Association's trip to nearby GameZone tacks on 97 miles to the van's log. While these abuses are mainly the fault of the clubs who signed out the vans, and most probably did not record mileage accurately, SA must ensure the vans are being used correctly. This means holding clubs up to stricter scrutiny. The vans are funded by student money, and it is SA's responsibility to safeguard the use of these funds.
Gas costs paid from students' pockets are reimbursed by the Student Association. If every student is paying for gas for the clubs, there needs to be full disclosure of where every mile goes. Club activities are to be encouraged, but waste must be cut out.
The lack of records also extends to members of SA, who sometimes don't sign out vans. While this could account for some of the additional mileage on some vehicles, it is nearly impossible that would put an additional thousand miles on the odometers. Also, the record keeping in regard to gas reimbursements is not very specific, so it is impossible to tell if anyone who took the vans was paid back for gas expenses, even if vans were used for personal reasons.
Students are a generally apathetic bunch, but they will hopefully not stand idly by while their elected representatives allow abuse of their money. There are many more examples of money being wasted, but it is impossible to detail every instance. Chipping away will not only curb excess and illegitimacy, but also pave the way for stricter regulations to prevent the abuses - no matter how egregious.
There are a handful of problems with the van system that need to be addressed. A tighter system would save the students money and make the vans more accessible to all the clubs. It is a great thing that SA is able to provide vans for its students, but more regulations and an examination are necessary to make sure everything is in order and no funds are abused.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
