To the editor,
1. The existence of a financial account outside of the assigned SA line
NAACP Executive Board members admitted to the existence of an outside line which had money that was not accounted for by the Student Association. This is a gross violation of SUNY and SA financial guidelines. All finances gained through fundraisers or anything dealing with the Mandatory Student Fees must be documented by the SA. There was $500 unaccounted for brought in by NAACP E-Board that the Student Association cannot verify as legally fundraised because of the lack of documentation.
2. The club did not follow SA procedures in regards to raffles
NAACP ran 3 raffles as well as a fundraiser before their de-recognition. The fundraiser was named 'Cupcakes for a Cause' which garnered money that was recorded on the club's track sheet (a monthly form filled out by clubs to show what events have been done) but never deposited into the SA account. The raffles were for an Ipod touch, a Nintendo Wii, and a MacBook Pro. The club did not follow SA procedures by getting raffle tickets through Sub-Board thus hampering our ability to track the money coming into and out of the club. The SA club handbook that was handed out to every organization in the beginning of the year clearly states that negating to go to Sub-Board for raffle tickets will lead to immediate de-recognition.
3. Raffle promoted without items being bought and donation procedure not followed
While the MacBook Pro and the Ipod Touch were donations to the club from former members, the correct procedures were not followed by the club resulting in an inability to confirm the condition or existence of either item. While the Ipod was raffled off, the money was never put into the SA account. The Nintendo Wii was never purchased yet advertisements for the raffle were put out by the club. Advertising for the Wii continued for weeks before the Wii was eventually never bought and the raffle cancelled. The advertisement of an item to be raffled off before it is bought is completely unacceptable and holds the organization's integrity in question.
4. NAACP was not recognized by the National Chapter of NAACP
The Investigation Committee soon discovered that NAACP was not a nationally recognized chapter. Valerie Cohen, the New York State Representative for NAACP, spoke with SA officials and confirmed that NAACP had not recognized the UB chapter because it had not met several requirements. These requirements include having 25 nationally recognized members, having a faculty staff member and member of NAACP as an advisor, attending monthly conferences, and keeping in contact with the Adult leader of Buffalo's NAACP.
Although an argument may be made for the club's longstanding presence with the SA, this does not excuse them from their blatant and clear violation of SA policies. No one club can be above the law; the SA cannot afford to show special deference towards any one club. There are more than 150 clubs under the SA at the University at Buffalo, and each and every one needs to be in compliance with the rules and regulations that were outlined at the Club Orientation at the beginning of the year.
The idea that SA would proactively seek out de-recognition is deplorable and simply false. We are holding ourselves accountable and ensuring that all of our clubs serve the UB community to the highest level. We are currently in talks with a former member of NAACP that we will help in any way we can to bring the club back to its former prominence which includes bringing National representatives of NAACP to establish a legitimate branch on campus.
We will continue to serve all students to our fullest capacity. We implore all of you to continue to come out to SA events and get involved!
Cordially,
Ernesto Alvarado
President, Student Association
eja22@buffalo.edu
