Allocations chair files report over misuse of funds

A student group might have to return some of its allocated money after Student Government Board members said they believe the money was mispent.

Allocations Committee Chairwoman Nasreen Harun and Board President Mike Nites have made a motion in a formal complaint filed with the Judicial Committee to retract money allocated to the student group Caribbean and Latin American Student Association for an on-campus event because Harun said she believes the association misused the funds. On Jan. 14, the Caribbean and Latin American Student Association requested $1,210.58 for refreshments and supplies for the Masquerade Ball, the association’s first charity event. The Board approved $602.85 for the event. If the student group is found in violations of the allocations Manual — the Allocations Committee’s governing document — they will forfeit the money allocated to them for the specific event. 

Harun said in a report she and Nites filed to the Judicial Committee that after “browsing on Facebook,” she came across pictures and advertisements implying that the Caribbean and Latin American Student Association was charging for students to attend the event, which violates a rule in the Allocations Manual stating that any event SGB funds cannot include an admission charge for Pitt students. 

“That was alarming because that’s one of the No. 1 rules that we’re not supposed to break,” Harun said.

The Facebook posts advertised the Masquerade Ball and listed tickets for $7 without masks and $10 with masks.

The Masquerade Ball took place Jan. 18 in the William Pitt Union. The event included dinner and a dance. All proceeds from the event went to the Pan Caribbean Partnership against HIV and AIDS, an organization based in the Caribbean and in Latin America that works to reduce the spread of HIV and AIDs. 

The Judicial Committee oversaw the hearing, held yesterday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. in room 837 of the William Pitt Union. Representatives from the Allocations Committee, the Caribbean and Latin American Student Association and Student Government Board attended the hearing.

Harun and Vice Chairwoman Robyn Weiner were present on behalf of the Allocations Committee. Five representatives from the Caribbean and Latin American Student Association were present on behalf of the student group.

Nites was present along with Board members Mona Kazour and Graeme Meyer.

The representatives from the Allocations Committee and the Caribbean and Latin American Student Association stated their cases to eight Judicial Committee members and Judicial Committee Chairwoman Audrey Winn at the hearing. 

Winn first read the report Harun and Nites filed to the Judicial Committee and then asked both parties to state their cases, starting with Harun because she filed the complaint. 

In her case, Harun cited section 4.03 of the Allocations Manual, which states: 

“No admission fee will be approved to generate funds for a donation, and the collection of the donation may not be taken at the door when entering so as to avoid any inference that giving a donation is a precondition for admittance. The collection of voluntary donations can be taken during or after the event.”

Harun said based on the Facebook posts, “anyone attending the event was then under the impression that they had to buy a ticket for $7 or $10, which is a clear violation of policy.”

Weiner said that during an allocations meeting on Jan. 9 — before the public allocations request — she and Harun asked the Caribbean and Latin American Student Association if the student group would charge admission for the event. 

“We asked them whether or not they would be charging at the door,” Weiner said. “It was explicitly said to us that there would not be [an admission] fee.”

Cynthia Thomas, the Caribbean and Latin American Student Association secretary, said that the group did not charge students admissions for the event.

“We never explicitly took money at the door,” Thomas said.

According to Thomas, all the listed ticket prices were suggested donations. 

“If someone didn’t understand that it was a suggested donation, we were happy to explain that,” Thomas said. “We weren’t going to force anyone to pay.”

Thomas said some students made donations but did not attend, while other students did not make donations to the event but still attended. 

Harun said the Caribbean and Latin American Student Association should have made it clear on their advertisements that the listed ticket prices were suggested donations. 

“There shouldn’t be any ambiguity with the ticket sales because there may not be any in-person clarification,” Harun said. “If it has to be clarified in person whether or not it’s an admission fee or a suggested donation, that’s a clear violation of policy.”

Rochelle Payne, president of the Caribbean and Latin American Student Association, said a member of the Association Electoral Board suggested to change some of the wording of the Facebook posts advertising the Masquerade Ball to clarify that the fee was a suggested donation. 

Payne also said Harun suggested on January 25 that the group change the wording on the Facebook posts to clear up ambiguity regarding ticket prices.

A change in the wording was never made. 

Payne said that the Caribbean and Latin American Student Association did not make changes on the Facebook posts, but said the group “did tell attendees in advance that [the ticket sales] were a voluntary donation.”

The five members from the Caribbean and Latin American Student Association present at the meeting said that they did not read the Allocations Manual. Harun, though, said that she expects students making Allocation requests to read it. 

“It’s definitely expected that student read the manual before entering before entering the allocations process because it governs how the committee makes their decisions,” Harun said. 

Harun said she has also clearly stated that student groups cannot charge admission for events funded by the Student Government in Allocation 101 sessions held this year. 

Weiner agreed.

“It may seem like a burden to read the manual, but we want to help you,” Weiner said. “If you want to get the most out of allocations, you should be as prepared as you can be.”

Students can access the manual through a link on the Student Government website. 

The Judicial Committee will deliberate the hearing for the next 48 hours and will notify the Allocations Committee and the Caribbean and Latin American Student Association when they reach a decision regarding the retraction of the funds. 

Thomas said the Masquerade Ball was the first charity event the current Caribbean and Latin American Student Association Electoral Board has put on. 

“I don’t think it’s right to say that we completely bypassed giving people the option to donate,” Thomas said. “Next time we’ll have to be more careful to make sure it’s a lot clearer.”