SGB

While Columbia Community Outreach may have united a wide variety of service-minded Columbians for a day, many service groups said that they struggle to gain recognition and funding on a day-to-day basis.

Student Governing Board’s release of financial figures on Saturday brought what many hope will kick off a period of greater transparency and solve what many have pointed to as a long-standing concern. The report was released on the heels of the Activities Board at Columbia’s mid-February decision to publish its student group allocations.

Those familiar with Columbia’s bureaucracy know that left-leaning groups receive preferential treatment. Now there’s proof. Progressive organizations receive an inordinate and imbalanced share of student funds.

The Student Governing Board recognized seven student groups at its semiannual town hall meeting Monday night.

Following the Student Governing Board’s shift from Earl Hall to the Division of Student Affairs last spring, SGB’s member organizations say they are maintaining a cautious optimism about the change.

As humanitarian student organizations serve an important purpose in the community and exemplify Columbia’s mission as a global university, it is essential that they be fully funded and supported under the Student Governing Board.

Community Impact, the board that finances and oversees 25 community service programs at Columbia, is set to hold its open house tonight in the wake of a major budget cut.