From Feb. 18 to Feb. 20 students at Buffalo State got a taste of what life would be like without USG. The result, if United Students Government disassembled completely it would affect thousands of students every day.
So why did USG “blackout” the students for three days last week? To give tough love to the organizations and show the students how much USG does for the students around campus said USG Treasurer Keisha Dobney.
The blackout essentially meant that USG was closed for three days, not taking any purchase orders from the organizations that they need to make events happen. Organizations purchases are ran by USG before they are made to ensure they have enough money in their budget and to overlook the events these organizations have.
Dobney wanted this to be a surprise to the students and organizations, which it was. Only a few people knew about the blackout. She said she heard a few complaints about the blackout from some of the leaders of the organizations.
The blackout was also a tactic to get more students to vote in the USG elections April 7 to April 10, where they will also vote on the $100 student activity fee. The vote for the mandatory student activity has always passed, but if for some reason the students don’t vote to pay, USG could run for about one year, but would then disassemble until the following years vote.
“Last year less than 400 people voted in the USG elections,” Dobney said. “I would like to see 2,000 people come out and vote, but I would be happy if we doubled to 800.”
USG provides money to the student organizations and clubs around campus, 60 of them in all, including The Record, WBNY, and BSC-TV. All of which could fold if the student activity fee is not voted on.
USG also provides crucial contracted services that thousands of Buffalo State students depend on. Of that $100, 25 of it goes to the NFTA, the public transportation service of Buffalo that allows students to ride the bus “for free”. There would also be no dental clinic, and BSC childcare center.
These services weren’t apart of the blackout.
“The original idea, which they did at another SUNY school, was to stop everything. But ours was modified a bit. NFTA would affect too many people, but that’s how important this is.” Dobney noted.
Other affected services were the gym, which recently received new bikes.
“If you like the new bikes, you like USG,” Dobney noted.
And if you also like Springfest, Buffalo State’s annual concert, which has featured artists like Fabolous, and the All American Rejects and The Used, would not be available along with the distinguished speaker series.
Cliff Cawthon, the president of the student organization Students for Peace, was one of the many who were blindsided about the blackout.
“USG did it without the consent of other groups. I didn’t get a letter in my mail box. …We were left out in the cold,” Cawthon said.
Cawthon had some strong statements against the Student Government saying they are undemocratic. Organizations that hold more events get more money from USG, so the money isn’t distributed evenly. The African American Students Organization receives a budget of $30,000 from USG, while Cawthon’s organization Students for Peace only receives a little over $7,000.
Cawthon is already scheduling a referendum rally called “Blackout is Coercion” at 12:15 p.m. on April 2 in the student union quad to inform the voters on what they are voting for. Cawthon added that he wasn’t sure if he was going to vote in April.
The surprise of the blackout caused a hectic scene at times in the halls of the fourth floor of the Student Union Sarah Nicholas said, who works in the business office. Not only did the organizations not know what was going on, but they had to get in purchase orders for upcoming events that weren’t able to be processed because of the blackout.
Nicholas said there was still work to be done though.
“We’ve been keeping busy still, a lot of filing and catching up,” she said.
For more information on USG and their involvement on campus visit their website at http://ipa.buffalostate.edu/~usg/aboutusg.html.