In response to your article in the most recent Ebbtide entitled “Furniture plans produce conflict,” I would like to correct some inaccuracies. I wish to point out that some of these inaccuracies were provided to the author by me and the student government. This was a result of our having been provided with inaccurate information ourselves, and not due to any attempt or desire to mislead the Ebbtide or its readers.

Firstly, we were given the wrong deadline for placing an order on furniture. This made a difference because the earlier deadline would have meant an order had to be placed before the Senate could see it. The actual deadline came after a Senate meeting, where a full presentation, complete with itemized prices and floor plans, was made. On October 17, the Senate gave their feedback on furniture and lifted the freeze on furniture funds that they had imposed a week earlier.

Another area where we were misinformed was with regard to where furniture that had been pre-selected would be going. We were told that furniture had been picked out for private staff offices and International Programs, which is not a Student Body Association- funded institution. This also turned out to be false.

Finally, we are still unsure about the process for moving student funds. We were under the impression that funds could not be spent out of the SS&A budget without Senate approval, but we have not found anything in the SBA constitution or SCC Policy Manual to confirm that. However, we will be working with the administration to clarify the issue and set fair procedures for spending student money.

I apologize to the Ebbtide for relaying information to them that fell into the unsubstantiated rumour category, and I will make pains to ensure future information from student government is correct before we pass it along.

Other clarifications about the article:
• The $138,000 set aside for furniture came solely from Student Services and Activities Fees, not from tuition.
• The PUB will not have a Multimedia Center, but it will still have the Multicultural Center and Women’s Center.

Sincerely,
Ivanhoe
Student Body Association President
(206) 546-6997
stu_gov_pres@shoreline.edu