Associated Students, Inc. deserves recognition for addressing the crisis it created when it slashed the budget of the Children?s Center and decided to close the Center?s evening program in January.

In three separate measures last week, ASI gave the Parent Advisory Council official authority to find somewhere else (within the already depleted Children?s Center budget) to cut $20,000, appointed an ASI representative to form a task force to look at general needs of student parents, and appointed the former director of the Children?s Center to study how to shift the center from a place of education to one of simple day care.

It?s refreshing to see ASI take some action, but these measures are not adequate enough ? and they do not answer the questions still hanging since ASI announced it had a $255,000 budget deficit caused by overspending last year?s budget.

The University needs to know where this money went and who authorized it to be spent. Any agency on campus that overspends its budget by $255,000 needs to publicly account for those dollars. In this case, it was $255,000 of student dollars, collected as part of the $103 (47.50 of which goes to athletics) in ASI fees every student pays, every semester. ASI officials ? including ASI Executive Director Carol Ackerson ? are no doubt hoping the storm is over and that by placating the PAC, ASI can go about its business and not account for the money. That strategy is not going work.

Another major problem is asking the PAC to look at the Children?s Center budget to find somewhere else to cut $20,000. Why not let the PAC look at the entire ASI budget for places to find $20,000? Perhaps there are areas within the ASI budget that could be trimmed instead of making the Children?s Center suffer. This year?s budget, for example, took a part-time position (Associate Director) and made it a fulltime position. Exactly where did the money come from and how has it contributed to the financial woes of the ASI programs who have had their budgets cut?

The Hornet is also concerned that there not be a repeat performance this year, yet nothing has been said about any measures to ensure ASI won?t overspend its budget again this fiscal year. If such measures are being considered, ASI should be announcing them as loudly as possible. If they?re not being considered, The Hornet believes it?s time for a complete audit ? performed by an outside the University agency ? with the results reported in a public forum.

The University administration touts accountability all the time. Let?s see if it will require accountability on the part of ASI.