Curator has not read report he requested

By Jedd Rosche

Published April 21, 2006

Weeks after criticizing the use of student fees at MU and demanding documents that explain how the fees are used, Curator David Wasinger said on Thursday he has not reviewed the information.

Wasinger received the documents on April 10. In an April 11 article in The Maneater, Wasinger said he would be able to elaborate on his findings this week.

Wasinger said he was unable to judge the information provided to him because he has not read the documents.

Wasinger requested the information at the UM system Board of Curators meeting this past month in Rolla after criticizing the use of student fees to bring controversial artist Andres Serrano to MU in October and implying that other, less provocative groups were not receiving funds.

The Organization Resource Group, known as ORG, which is responsible for distributing student fees to MU organizations, sent Wasinger spreadsheets that detailed the amount of money spent on honorariums, guest artists and speakers, as well a list of student organizations that were approved and denied assistance.

Taylor McKinney, ORG vice chairwoman of administration, said Wasinger had made no attempt to contact ORG since it sent the documents.

Wasinger was unavailable for additional comment on Thursday afternoon.

Despite Wasinger's criticism, McKinney said she and her staff did not think they had been attacked.

"I think the staff all understands that the curators have an interest in the way student fees are spent," McKinney said. "We know our paperwork is in order."

McKinney said the request showed how quickly her office could assemble the information when needed.

"We did this at a fast pace, and we did a good job with the turnover, but I think, converting into this new format, we could always make it easier to read," she said.

McKinney said the request from the curator forced ORG to make its files more accessible.

"It wasn't difficult," McKinney said. "We just had to make the report a little bit neater."

At earlier board meetings, Wasinger criticized the use of student fees to pay for two events — at a University of Missouri-St. Louis fall drag show and Serrano's lecture at MU.

Serrano is best known for his piece "Piss Christ," which features a plastic crucifix submerged in urine.

Nikki Krawitz, UM system vice president for finance and administration, said ORG received no state funding.

"The student activity fees that are used to fund student organizations are allocated on each campus by students working with student-life professionals," Krawitz said.

According to the ORG Web site, there are more than 430 organizations on campus, using among them more than $330,000 in student fees.

Each student pays a $10-per-semester activity fee.