The Student Organization Resource Fee (SORF) Board has faced calls for reform recently, culminating in the Illinois Student Senate (ISS) introducing legislation to create an oversight board to reexamine SORF actions. However, that legislation has now been tabled, and ISS and SORF are working together to make SORF’s funding rules more transparent and the organization more accountable.

ISS members have said that SORF board members need to be more open about the way they allocate hundreds of thousands of dollars in student funds per year.

In the past, SORF board members have frequently allocated money to their own organizations: during two funding periods in the fall of 2003, for example, SORF records show that nearly 40 percent of the allocations made – more than $33,000 – went to registered student organizations (RSOs) of which a SORF board member was either president or treasurer.

A search of SORF allocation records turned up no allocations made to SORF board member organizations this semester.

Hassen Al-Shawaf, student senator and senior in business, introduced legislation last week that would have asked students to vote on the creation of an oversight board within ISS for SORF, but Al-Shawaf tabled the legislation.

“I tabled it because, one, although I know we need changes in SORF, there’s a lot of work and I don’t want to rush anything,” Al-Shawaf said. “Also, I’m not sure I can push this through right now. Some students may try to appeal the legislation all the way up to the Constitutional Review Board, and that type of delay would take it out of this election cycle.”

SORF money is allocated using a list of spending standards for specific requests: for example, SORF will only fund up to 25 percent of referee fees for University-hosted league games, and up to 50 percent of the cost to print journals or magazines, according to the SORF Web site.

Al-Shawaf said his chief concern was simply making SORF’s rules and procedures more open to the public.

“The chief concern was updating the Web site to see who was appropriated what and how that was determined,” he said. “It’s just that some students don’t understand why they received money or didn’t. If a student is turned down on SORF, there’s often a note that says it was for X reason or Y reason. But that doesn’t always happen.”

Dan Peterson, the chairman of SORF board and a senior in engineering, agreed that SORF’s funding information could be easier to find, but stressed that it was available.

“We’re working with those who proposed the legislation to improve SORF,” Peterson said. “We want to keep the Web site updated and easier to use for treasurers, but the information’s out there.”

Reform efforts, even ones conducted by SORF itself, are complicated by the fact that SORF’s $10 student fee is being put to a vote during student elections March 8 and 9. Lance Wright, the SORF administrator, said the fee, which every student pays unless they request an exemption, could be raised from $10 to $14, or even dropped altogether.

Some SORF members said the ISS legislation wasn’t necessary. David Kaplan, SORF board member and junior in engineering, said the reform proposals were redundant.

“A lot of things the legislation is trying to take care of is already covered by SORF laws,” Kaplan said. “We have by-laws, guidelines, standards and federal laws to keep track of how we allocate money. Our by-laws cover things like conflicts of interest.”

However, Al-Shawaf noted that there had been concerns with SORF in the past.

“Two years ago, two SORF members received money from SORF,” he said. “It could’ve been beneficial to the students, but it doesn’t look right if SORF members are appropriating to themselves.”

However, last year SORF board passed a rule forbidding its members from participating in discussions or voting on allocations to organizations of which they are members.

“It had people in student government worried,” Al-Shawaf said.

Peterson said many current concerns with SORF can be solved by simply having a better understanding of SORF’s guidelines.

“It’s important to review the guidelines and restrictions before applying, that helps,” he said. “The vice chair and I hold office hours every week to help clarify the process.”

Al-Shawaf said SORF served an important purpose on campus, which is why it was critical to make sure it works properly.

“SORF does positive things on campus, and I think it needs to stick around,” he said. “But it needs some tweaking.”