Young Americans for Freedom, the national conservative organization with college chapters across the country, last night launched a campaign against Stony Brook University, claiming that the “leftist administration” is discriminating against conservatives by denying the Stony Brook chapter funding.
“Support Stony Brook University YAF’s battle against this liberal suppression of conservatism today!” urges a web page set up by the national YAF organization, before asking visitors for donations of up to $1,000.
Daniel Diaz, the executive director of YAF, said that Stony Brook’s failure to fund the campus chapter was troubling if not necessarily surprising.
“We’ve had similar situations at Palm Beach State College,” he said. In that case, the YAF chapter was removed from the student activities center because the club had set up a table at an event even though it was not an officially recognized student organization, a policy the college enforces with all student organizations. At the time, Diaz was the president of the Florida YAF.
And like the case at Palm Beach State, Stony Brook University could soon find itself on the wrong end of a lawsuit.
“We will be taking legal action,” said Diaz on Friday afternoon, without getting into specifics. Stony Brook’s Undergraduate Student Government wasn’t immediately available for comment Friday afternoon.
It’s unclear where any violations of the law took place, however. The Undergraduate Student Government has a very strict set of requirements that all student organizations have to meet in order to be recognized as an official club, and the process to secure funding is even more stringent. YAF contends they were forced to change their mission statement because it too closely mirrored the mission statement of the College Republicans. It would not be the first time the USG denied a club recognition because another club already existed that served a similar or identical purpose.
As for funding, USG clubs are not eligible for a line budget until at least their third semester. YAF’s campus chapter has only been active for two semesters, and wouldn’t qualify regardless.
A legal victory is probably not the end goal, however. In the case of Palm Beach State, the media attention that surrounded the legal proceedings was enough to force some concessions from the administration there. And while we fully acknowledge that we’re providing the same type of coverage now, our hope is that this time, we can make sure that a conservative club doesn’t bully its way past the same red tape that all the rest of us faced.
In the off chance, however, that a lawsuit is how to go about securing much-needed funding on this campus, Think Magazine has started a campaign of our own.
Adam Peck
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“As for funding, USG clubs are not eligible for a line budget until at least their third semester. YAF’s campus chapter has only been active for two semesters, and wouldn’t qualify regardless.”
YAF was denied funding by Special Service Council (SSC).
No USG recognized club is eligible for a line budget unless they have been funded by Special Service Council (SSC) with a provisionary budget for two consecutive semesters, then they are eligible to apply for a line budget.
USG Bylaws:
Funds available from the Special Service Council
(1) The Special Services Council (SSC) is an agency of the Undergraduate Student Government and receives an annual line budget.
It shall use this budget to carry out the following:
(A) to distribute funds to clubs, organizations or event committees
interested in running an event directed toward the Stony Brook
Undergraduate Community;
(B) to distribute funds to new organizations with a provisionary budget,but funds given for this purpose shall not exceed one-third (1/3) of SSC’s total budget; and
Special Services Council
New clubs that have registered with Student Activities are not eligible for a “USG Line Budget” until they have received and used SSC Funding for at least 2 consecutive semesters.
http://sbusg.org/services-agencies/ssc-new-club-funding/
USG Constitution:
Special Services Council
The Special Services Council, a joint agency, shall review and approve/disapprove groups seeking the Undergraduate Student Government recognition. The Special Services Council may also provide, on request, additional funding to individuals, clubs or organizations for special events.
a. The approval given by Special Services Council shall be considered as probationary recognition. Probationary recognition shall last for a minimum period of one academic year, during which the group will get its funding from the Special Services Council budget. Clubs and organizations may appeal the decision of the Special Services Council according to procedures defined in the Special Services Council operations manual.
b. Groups may request full Undergraduate Student Government recognition from the Senate after their minimum probationary period. A two-thirds affirmative vote of the filled seats of the Senate is required for full student government recognition upon recommendation from the Special Services Council. Upon full recognition such an approved group will be granted a position on the line budget.
How does one get a copy of the SSC operations manual?
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