As financial difficulties abound throughout the College, it seems as though the most popular option of remedy has been to cut corners before encountering major problems. In this spirit, the Student Financial Committe has proposed a plan which will limit student organizations’ payrolls. The SFC must reevaluate this proposed plan of action which is currently under consideration.

It is vital to both the student body and the administration for the College’s resources to be distributed as equitably and efficiently as possible. In deciding who should determine how Oberlin’s funds should be distributed, we must consider the following: How much relative power should the student body have in deciding how to allocate funds? How should the student body’s interests be represented? Should students who are not receiving financial aid still be paid for their work? The SFC has been debating these and other issues with its recent proposal.

The current procedure regarding funds begins with the Student Senate. It approves student organizations’ charters. SFC, whose members are appointed by Senate, then bears the responsibility of distributing the money from the student activity fee, which this year is $210 per student per academic year. SFC members have the authority to grant or deny funds to over 100 student groups. Its decisions directly affect a large percentage of the student body. Many student organizations, including intramural athletics, student media — including the Review — and charity organizations rely on this money to function.

With this in mind, the SFC currently discusses an important question: Should organizations employing students be required to submit  information regarding each paid position to the SFC for approval in order to cut back on unnecessary wage positions and redirect funds toward a better cause? A proposal to form a committee authorized to answer this question is currently being considered.

The SFC has taken admirable steps in the past to ensure fair distribution policies, including its recent audit of student organizations. It is imperative that the SFC recognize, however, that should this current proposal pass, it would be in violation of both student privacy and fair job market policies.

SFC must allow the organizations that have impact on and utility to students to contract and pay their own workers. The proposed review committee could create an uncomfortable atmosphere among members of organizations with a possible  implication that those paid student employees are not truly earning their keep. Such an atmosphere runs counter to Oberlin’s goals of prompting student initiative and independence.

This hypothetical committee would determine a student’s right to be paid based on three criteria: financial need, time commitment and possibility of filling the position with a volunteer. This means that the students on the proposed committee would gain access to the private financial situations of the students it considered, a situation that would violate federal privacy acts. It also seems unjust to base wages on financial need ­— students who come from more affluent backgrounds should not be denied equal compensation for equal work. In addition, evaluators from the committee who may not be privvy to the important details of an organization’s functioning would be challenged to determine who is most deserving of a paid versus volunteer position — though this dilemma notably can occur even under the current system.

The organizations receiving funding from SFC — which include groups ranging from Hip Hop 101 to the HIV Educators — are of the utmost importance to student life on campus. Just as vital to the college experience as academic classes, these groups provide diverse outlets for the creativity of our student body, and thus must be trusted to function with financial integrity rather than be questioned by a committee of fellow students.

That said, some oversight on the part of the SFC is appropriate in the same way that SFC must trust student organizations.

Rather than allow this issue to slip into the back of the mind to rest among plans to clean under the bed and find summer internships, concerned students should provide the SFC with the input it needs to make a decision that truly respects and values the service of Oberlin organizations.