At the end of a semester that saw the Student Services Finance Committee prove once again that "viewpoint-neutrality" is as misguided as "separate but equal" in the realm of legal precedent, our student government overturned a budget decision that puts an exclamation point on the absurdity that is the segregated-fee system.

A group known as the Monkey Hoes, whose goals essentially include mocking the segregated-fee system and generally having a good time, was granted a hearing after an initial funding denial. Why, you ask? Well, despite the fact that the group is admittedly requesting funding merely to point out how ridiculous the system is, Monkey Hoes is open to every student on campus (even those who aren't particularly fond of pirates, whom the group's leadership contends "ARRRR the best" in its listing in the registered student organization directory).

The group won't do much to improve student life on campus (nothing new for many seg-fee-funded organizations), but it does not violate any of the parameters SSFC has set up to govern segregated-fee allocation, so the students may be required to fund it.

Such is the absurd nature of our segregated-fee system. For years, students have been forced to pay hundreds of dollars a year in segregated fees (now up to more than $600 per student) on top of constantly escalating tuition without any real say in how their money is spent.

Less than a quarter of the student body participates in the election of SSFC members, and, once elected, these members are required to enforce a set of guidelines that essentially provides funding to any group that claims to serve the full student body (including groups that clearly cater to a specific political, ethnic or religious faction, as long as membership is not actually limited to said faction). In many cases, this service amounts to little more than "raising awareness" among the student body about an issue the group considers important, but as long as that awareness is targeted at the full student body, it matters little that very few of the students who foot the bill care to be made aware.

This board feels the students — not their representatives on the finance committee — should decide how their money is spent. Instead of an annual bill, each student should be sent a list of organizations requesting funding along with contact information for group leaders. Each group can make its case and each student will choose which ones to support.

An opt-in will discourage the reckless spending that has characterized the seg-fee system and requiring groups to appeal to directly to students will ensure that they accurately reflect student needs. If a true service is absolutely necessary, the university should fund it out of tuition dollars.

Some groups may be lost without a steady stream of compelled charity, but any group the student body truly values will raise the funding it needs.

The cost of higher education has already become prohibitive for many students. An additional tax that essentially amounts to mandatory philanthropy is simply unacceptable.