The ASMC deficit grew since it was originally discovered last summer.
The ASMC began the year with roughly $16,300 of debt, higher than earlier estimates due to costs accrued over the summer, said Lucci Pinoliad, ASMC treasurer.
Pinoliad said she found the debt at the end of last year, and had it paid off by the start of the 2001 school year. The student government budget comes from fees paid by students every semester and totals $80,340.
The original deficit was $15,000, but has since increased over $1,249.09, because of club and publication bills that arrived over the summer.
The ASMC summer expenses come from mail and copy expenses over the school year which do not get totaled until the summer, Pinoliad said.
“[Mills College] Weekly expenses come in over the summer, yearbook expenses coms in late, people want to have year end parties in April and generally spend more money at the end of the year,” said Liza Kuney, assistant dean of students.
Mail and copy center officials said that since the end of last year, bills for all organizations go through Kuney in order to eradicate future deficit problems.
“All charges go through the Executive Board. We implemented the changes to improve and simplify the system,” said Kuney.
According to Pinoliad, Kuney misunderstood the balance sheet by “not looking at the individual balance of each club, but rather the total [for all clubs, publications and organizations]. Too many clubs ran up too big of bills with more coming in. At that point, we ended all spending,” said Pinoliad.
Kuney said tracking student government budgets is not her job.
“I’m not the treasurer and I don’t do the budgets. It is tough, tricky economic work done by someone different each year with different levels of experience. In a lot of ways, it is a full time job,” Kuney said. A combination of past yearbook dues, active clubs and the nature of the organization caused the debt, she added.
Kuney explained that when she arrived at Mills in 1995, the clubs and student activities were not active, but the ASMC general fund was plentiful. Now that there are many active clubs and organizations, the ASMC general fund is lower because more money is going toward student activities.
Enrollment has dropped by 157 students which also decreases student funds.
After the debt was paid off at the end of fall 2001 semester, the ASMC began to reorganize the financial distribution system so that clubs would be equally funded and have more checks on their spending, according to Kuney.
“We’re good now,” said ASMC vice president Rachel Kau-Taylor in the Feb. 14, 2002 Weekly. “First semester we were stressed but not so much anymore.”
The student government encouraged the clubs to fundraise and spend frugally, said Pinoliad, and in the end it worked out, and the ASMC still has over $12,224.81 according to their March 10, 2002 budget.
Only four clubs have managed to make money this year, the biggest balance belongs to the Fresh Produce/ MsFit, which made over $700 from the Queer Prom, according to Ly Hoang, editor of MsFit.
None of the 27 clubs has a negative balance. The only organization with a negative balance is the class of 2002, which is in the red by $335.50.
