Administrators Plan SGB Oversight Shift

High-level administrators decided last week to shift oversight of the Student Governing Board of Earl Hall to the Office of Student Affairs, SGB executive board members reported Friday.

The board, which oversees all political, activist, and religious student groups, currently reports to University Chaplain Jewelnel Davis, who reports directly to Provost Alan Brinkley. With the change, SGB may become part of Student Development and Activities in the Office of Student Affairs, which is headed by Dean Chris Colombo and is further removed from the University's central administration.

The SDA currently oversees the Activities Board at Columbia, the largest undergraduate club board, which oversees funding for all cultural, academic, and competitive student groups.

The decision comes as the result of a long period of "ongoing discussion concerning the future" of the board, according to a statement issued Tuesday by the group's executive board.

Students on the board expressed concern about whether the shift will force the board to change its policies. They said they were also concerned that the board's new administration will not be as accommodating as the chaplain's office with regard to certain needs of SGB groups, such as calling town halls or other large meetings on short notice.

"It is our mission to protect and defend the unique nature of religious, political and activist groups on this campus," the board's statement said.

Leaders of SGB groups and students on the governing board said they will meet over the coming weeks to discuss potential problems with the move and develop a strategy to make the transition as smooth as possible. The SGB executive board has contacted member groups through e-mail and will discuss the transition at the board's biannual town hall meeting on Nov. 13.

In the statement, the executive board also said that the move to Colombo's office "is not the first choice for reform that the executive board of SGB prefers." The board added, "However, the SGB is preparing to think about the complexities of restructuring, and if the board and group members feel the core culture of the SGB can be retained under the new advising structure, we will support the move."

Student Affairs administrators were not available for comment over the Election Day weekend.

Each governing board has its own policies which it uses to decide which student groups to recognize and how to allocate funding. Leaders of SGB also help member groups with planning and cosponsoring events.