Opinion

Better late than never

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As we predicted last week, the Student Services Finance Committee is poised to take the politically expedient route when it comes to trimming seg fees — although we must admit we are pleased they did not pursue an across-the-board cut that would have punished responsible and irresponsible groups equally.

Instead, groups who received zero to 20 percent increases will reportedly have their budgets cut by 2.2 percent; groups who received 21 to 100 percent increases will lose 4.4 percent and groups who received over 100 percent increases must trim 6.6 percent. Those who had money cut will see no change in their budgets.

Leaving aside the absurdity of there being a category for groups with increases of over 100 percent, this system still favors the irresponsible. Groups that asked for responsible increases are still paying for the largesse of other irresponsible groups simply because student government lacks the will to make the cuts it should have made last fall.

We urge SSFC to avoid the easy route. A better place to start would be the office-space budgets of all GSSF groups. The recent approval of the Student Activity Center makes expenditures in this area a waste in the long run.

Making tough choices is never easy, especially after a de facto rebuke by the chancellor. But it is the right thing to do for those who claim to represent student interests.