As a member of Thelomathesian Society, I am often met with confusion and jokes about why I would choose to be in student government. For the most part, I like being able to support organizations on campus and help make decisions about the future of our student life. I am not blind, however, to the controversy and mistakes that follow Thelmo.
Habitat for Humanity, a theme house on campus, has historically provided charitable services for local community members. They spend every other weekend traveling to help people build, improve, or polish off their homes. Every spring break, they bring students to a different state to help Habitat for Humanity — the organization — build a complete home. This trip not only provides alternative housing options for students but also helps expand SLU’s mission and charity to new horizons.
Like many student organizations, Habitat for Humanity went to Thelmo this semester to help fund this trip. They typically have been able to either fund or partially fund the event on their own. Now, solely because of the Thelmo E-board, they will not be going at all.
To contextualize this issue, I will summarize the process a contingency must go through to be approved: The E-board will see all contingencies before they make it to the Senate floor. If the request is under $600, it is called a micro-contingency, and the E-Board can pass it on its own. If it is over $600, they can address formatting issues. Once the request has been properly formatted, it is the E-board’s job to make it part of the agenda for the Senate to vote on. As shown by the section 3 procedure:
An acceptable contingency request shall consist of, but need not be limited to, the following:
1. The name of the student(s), club, or organization requesting funding.
2. Contact information for at least one representative of the student(s) seeking funding
3. A description of the planned usage of funding.
4. The exact or estimated cost of the program under consideration, with costs itemized to the greatest extent possible.
5. A summary of all revenues and expenditures, including fundraising undertaken or planned.
6. The exact sum requested from the Contingency Fund.
7. Any additional comments or evidence that may support the proposal.
“…If the amount of funding requested is greater than $600, the student(s) requesting funding shall appear before the Thelomathesian Senate to argue the merits of his or her proposal, as directed by the Thelomathesian Society’s Vice President of Senate Affairs.”
If you are a member of the Senate, you may be wondering why you never voted on Habi’s contingency. According to the members of the house, they were sent amendments by the E-board. The Senate is allowed to ‘motion to amend’ during questioning, meaning the Senate can make suggestions to the budget and ask the presenters to come back next week with a new contingency request. It is not outlined in the Constitution as a responsibility of the E-board.
It has been claimed by some members of the E-board and the Thelmo advisor that the current interpretation of the constitution is that if it is not said that you can’t do it, then you can. The reason I bring this forward is to show the importance of student involvement in Thelmo, regardless of your opinion of the organization.
YikYak and social media are filled with complaints, yet voting turnout is consistently disappointing. Very rarely do senators make amendment proposals. Our student government is not representative of our students. Is it our job as students to change this?
Until enough students who want real change begin to vote, attend meetings, or run for positions on the E-Board, we will continue to watch improper allocation of funds and the destruction of traditions — especially the important ones — like Habitat for Humanity’s spring break trip. We cannot cure Thelmo of its lack of funding; we should try to cure it of its students’ apathy.