On Wednesday, the Student Association Senate voted unanimously (16-0-0) to derecognize the Korean Student Association (KSA).
In mid-March, two students, who asked to remain anonymous, approached the Senate to make allegations against KSA. In response, Senate Chair Jonathan Grunin assembled an investigative committee consisting of six senators headed by International Coordinator Theresa Cervantes to further investigate the allegations.
The two students said KSA had been breaking SA rules at two events - an orientation event the club had been holding in South Korea over the summer for international students and a bowling tournament. Specifically, the students accused the club of collecting money from members without going through proper SA monetary channels, underage alcohol consumption at KSA's orientation event, handing out cash prizes and potential embezzlement of funds.
At the meeting on Wednesday, the Senate discussed the allegations pertaining to each event individually, starting with KSA's orientation event.
The committee ruled that because the event was advertised as an SA event using SA's and UB's logos, the event is still within SA's jurisdiction.
In order to collect a donation from an organization sponsoring its event, the club must make sure the donation is accompanied with an SA donation agreement form, according to the SA Financial Handbook. The committee found that KSA collected money from sponsors and failed to even attempt to receive these forms from SA. The committee also found that KSA collected entry fees, which is a violation of SA policy.
KSA President Joseph Shin and Vice President Gideon Park admitted to the committee that alcohol was provided at the event. Park claimed he and Shin paid for the alcohol with their own money and without any of the money collected. Shin and Park also said they had no way of knowing if there was underage drinking at the event.
The committee ruled that regardless of where the money came from for alcohol, KSA had to abide by SA's alcohol policy. KSA failed to apply for and receive an alcohol permit from SA, so the committee found KSA violated SA's alcohol policy.
The committee investigated the accusation that KSA acquired money from members illegally. The committee discovered the event had a door fee, and the e-board was aware of the proper process at the bowling tournament event earlier this semester.
When Shin and Park spoke to the committee, they both acknowledged they were supposed to go through SBI for tickets and prizes but said because they planned the event last minute, they decided to charge a door fee. They also changed the number of people who attended the event and the money raised when they realized their math didn't add up, according to the report. Cervantes said KSA went through the proper steps last semester when it held the same event but knowingly failed to this semester.
The committee found KSA in violation of rules about donations. Just like the orientation event, KSA did not go through the proper SA financial channels. The club also violated the rule against entry fees by Shin and Park's own admission.
The two e-board members admitted to handing out cash prizes at the event, a direct violation of the SA financial handbook. The club also failed to show SA a receipt for the event.
The report concluded stating: "The investigative committee recommends the Senate to derecognize the Korean Student Association due to breaking a plethora of SA constitution guidelines. If we were to cut the funds of KSA, including their rollover allowance, we would be setting a precedent that allows other clubs to expect similar results with no repercussions. Therefore, we suggest the Korean Student Association to be derecognized due to all of the evidence [of] the allegations to be true."
Cervantes said KSA had an estimated 11 active members, although she is unsure of that number.
"In [KSA's] constitution, an active voting member must have [been] to a required number of KSA meetings and events," Cervantes said. "Since the club hasn't turned in a track sheet since October, I am unsure if the club is active enough to have enough events to have active members."
Although KSA has been derecognized, Cervantes said the Korean community is very prevalent on campus.She is confident a new Korean student organization will emerge soon.
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Photo: Breadchastick / Wikimedia Commons
