October 5, 2012

_Editor’s Note: The writers of this letter refer to a piece published in The Maneater’s forum section on Tuesday as an article. To clarify, the piece is a column written by campus issues columnist Mara Somlo._

While we appreciate the attention that your writer was trying to bring to student organizations in the article “[Orgs receive success without MU recognition](http://www.themaneater.com/stories/2012/10/2/orgs-receive-success-without-mu-recognition/),” we feel it necessary to point out that many of the assertions made about our office and our policies are false. We are disappointed that our office was not consulted during the research for this article, as we would have been more than happy to provide accurate information.

It is certainly true that we have policies and regulations that govern some aspects of student organization administration; with more than 700 recognized groups, we have to ensure that everyone is treated fairly and equally. We dispute, however, the claim that these policies are excessively onerous or that they prohibit student organizations from operating successfully. Hundreds of organizations are able to take advantage of our resources every year, and most give us positive feedback on the overall process.

Last year, 98 new student organizations were recognized and more than $360,000 was directly allocated to fulfill budget requests. We have already had 80 students express an interest in starting new groups this year. These are all examples of the outcomes that we hope to see and the success that motivates us all every day. Yes, there are some hoops to jump through, but we are committed to providing help and support, every step of the way. We are always open to hearing feedback and constructive criticism, and we never stop working to improve our service. ORG’s mission is to help student organizations succeed. As mentioned above, we work with more than 700 organizations, and we do our absolute best to be an outlet and resource for each one.

Sincerely,

Derek Murray, Chairman
Amy Hudson, Vice-Chair of Finance
Caity Larson, Vice-Chair of Administration
Becca Dunn, Communication Coordinator
Scott Dreyer, Communication Coordinator
Chasity Hurd, Office Manager