CCSN student government funding still a concern

Jennifer Knight

Monday, Nov. 5, 2001 | 8:51 a.m.

The Board of Regents in August vowed to clean up years of unchecked student government spending at the Community College of Southern Nevada, but the regents have yet to act on any proposals to prevent future abuses.

"I wasn't aware that there was a proposal that wasn't happening," Regent Tom Kirkpatrick said. "I don't think it went away, I just think people were thinking someone else would do it."

After discovering in July that CCSN student government leaders in 1999 had spent thousands on parties and out-of-state junkets, regents promised to reduce their funding to 50 cents for every credit hour taken by full-time students, the same amount that other community college student governments in the state receive.

CCSN student government now receives $2 from students for every credit hour, which amounts to more than $500,000 a year. About one-third of that money pays for child-care facilities and athletics, but technically, student government still has control over the entire amount.

The rest -- about $330,000 -- goes into the general budget for student activities.

Kirkpatrick said that he will look into bringing the issue of student government funding to the table again at the next Board of Regent's meeting in December.

As it stands CCSN's student government has control over as much money as it ever did.

Regents and Jane Nichols, Nevada's higher education chancellor, have met with CCSN student government officers to go over the books, but the student government could not even produce a budget, Regent Thalia Dondero said.

"We didn't see any budget. That was the problem," Dondero said. "That was one of the things that we asked that they do."

Student government President Calvin Hooks said officers do have a budget for this year.

So far student government senators have voted to set aside $70,000 for scholarships, $30,000 for the operation of the Coyote Press, CCSN's newspaper, $190,000 for club funding and $7,500 for leadership development, Hooks said.

Regents also talked about having a yearly audit performed on CCSN's student government accounts to monitor student spending. No proposals to do so have appeared on any agendas.

President Ron Remington, who has led the college since August, appointed a new student government adviser to help with budgeting issues and compliance to Board of Regent policies. A new financial manager was also appointed to check spending.

Hooks said, however, there are still bumps in the road for the student government.

Since Hooks and his board of six senators first began their term in July, all six senators have left. Three became ineligible because of low grades; one left for personal reasons and two others were threatened with an investigation, Hooks said, without elaborating.

"We have a totally new senate," Hooks said. "We got off to a rough start."

At the start the new advisory team approved sending the board and its advisers -- about 10 people -- to a retreat in Primm at a cost of $10,000.

The money spent by the new board received more than a few scoffs from students who logged on to a CCSN chat room to talk about it.

"And $10,000 for a retreat!" wrote one student. "How much have they done for the CCSN students? Not much!"

"Instead of taking $10,000 of student money," another student typed, "why not just get a free room at CCSN and spend a good five plus hours trying to figure it out?"

Hooks said the retreat was suggested by student government advisers, who said it was the best deal they could get.