Editorial: Department of Student Life reallocated money, didn't notify students

Department of Student Light reallocated funds without notifying groups.

Published May 7, 2009

For months, no one could tell how $30,771 of diversity fee money was transferred to a Department of Student Life equipment reserve fund.

Jonathan Mays, former Missouri Students Association senate speaker, first became aware in December that the money had been transferred.

Needless to say, the groups that were supposed to benefit from the money wanted it back once they heard it was gone. But it's ridiculous a student had to tell student groups that they were losing money. Why didn't the Department of Student Life notify anyone before they reallocated more than $30,000 of students' money?

Department of Student Life Director Mark Lucas said all the money was spent because students cannot leave money in funds after the end of the year and that the funds must be spent during the year it's paid. Student groups can arrange in writing to have fees carryover, and Four Front did indeed fail to do this.

But on Feb. 9, the money Lucas claimed was spent was mysteriously put back in the diversity fee fund. Cathy Hurst of the Department of Student Life said they put the money back because students asked for it to be returned. Lucas retracted his statement that the fees had been spent and explained that, actually, none of the money was spent.

He also insisted there was no drama in moving more than $30,000 in student fees, and that students shouldn't worry about the reallocation of fees because everything done with the money is for students anyway.

Not only was the Department of Student Life unable to keep its story straight, but also Lucas apparently didn't see a problem moving tens of thousands of student fees around without notifying students.