To the Editor:

Re: “In disagreement with Resolution 21,” Opinion, Feb. 2

As a sponsor of the resolution, I want to more thoroughly explain why I sponsored a moratorium on the registration of new student groups for this semester.

Let me begin by stating again that none of the sponsors enjoyed placing a hold on any group that would want to register this semester. This moratorium allows us the chance to overhaul an incredibly flawed system which, in the past, has wasted your money. $75 from your Student Activity Fee is allocated to the SAFC, and that money has gone to waste in ways that the SAFC cannot prevent.

Currently, so long as a group follows the allocation procedures of the SAFC, they can be allocated the maximum amount of funds without any justification. It is foolish for anyone to receive students’ money without proving your group deserves it. This isn’t the fault of the SAFC as students had demanded a purely objective system in the past. Like all complex processes, the human element is an essential factor, and that component was missing from the process.

The task force will work in a transparent manner to make sure that during this time of crisis, your money is spent in both a frugal and fair fashion. This moratorium gives us a chance to fix the problems of a broken system in the least harmful manner possible.

In the long run, this pragmatic measure will allow groups to receive fairer funding with less bureaucracy. Sometimes, the best prescription for long-term gain is a dose of short-term pain.

Tony Miller ’10

Vice President for Internal Operations, S.A.