Issue date: 11/5/08 Section: News

Robert Maxwell, second year law student.

Students know that the cost of enrollment in UDC involves more than just tuition. Every year, UDC charges a variety of additional fees, including the Student Activity Fee. The purpose of the Student Activity Fee is to fund student activities, and to create the budget for the student government.
However, some students are concerned the math doesn't add up and that there is money missing from the budget.
The problem started in 2006, when the UDC Board of Trustees voted to increase Student Activity Fees from $25 to $35 for undergraduates, and from $110 to $210 for law students. Although the fee went up, the amount accounted for by the University's annual budget did not. As the revenue from the Student Activity Fees surpassed the amount predicted by the budget, it created a reservoir of loose change. The excess in funds has now grown to an estimated $2.2 million for the undergraduates, and $60,000 for the law school.
Student organizations are suffering because of this budgetary mismanagement. Beth Stephens is the president of Phi Alpha Delta, a legal fraternity with approximately 80 members at UDC's law school. This year and in years past, Phi Alpha Delta (PAD) has struggled to obtain funds for their activities, including the popular law school Halloween party, "Disgrace Judicata." Stephens has been told by law school administrators that the unaccounted overage in student activity fees is not available to fund the activities of student organizations, like PAD, because it has been "absorbed" into the University's budget. As Stephens puts it, "It seems wrong for students to commit their valuable time to fundraising efforts that aim to raise money for events like Disgrace Judicata when there are already funds collected by the Student Activity Fees that aren't being used for student events."
Now two years since the problematic increase, the money is still unaccounted for. Robert Maxwell is at the forefront of the student budget investigation. Maxwell is a second-year law student at UDC, who also attended UDC undergrad. To shed light on these budget questions, he has requested six years of budget history on the Student Activity Fee. These requests, however legitimate, have not been honored.
Maxwell has been asked by the law school's Student Bar Association to form a task force of students to pursue this investigation and solve the unexplained budget problems. To accomplish this, he may have to look for answers beyond the UDC administration, since the University's budget is actually approved by the D.C. city council.
Nevertheless, holding the University accountable for the whereabouts of money in excess of $2 million dollars is a priority for students. Alexander Beraud, a second-year law student and Senator in the Student Bar Association, sees this as a matter of deep concern. "We need to quell the vast outcry among the student body," says Beraud, "and ensure that the student organizations, which represent the interests of students, are properly funded."

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools