A typical university group can face multiple problems and barriers every day. From red tape to unreliable membership, it isn’t easy to provide the wide array of services that a group aims for. But perhaps the biggest obstacle of all is money.
While fund-raising, donations and even direct student funding can help, it rarely does enough. With the economy taking a huge plunge and getting worse every day, finding money has forced groups to take “creative” measures, according to Ben Lowe, president of the Associated Students of the University of Utah.
These measures include organizing a draft for students via e-mail and setting up a work camp where they would be employed in manual labor. The products that result from this labor are then sold for a profit that would directly benefit the group.
“I think it’s a great idea,” said Camille Wall, director of the U wind symphony. “It’s always been hard for us to get our members involved in things like bake sales and car washes. With this method, everyone’s sure to contribute.”
Jason Shafer, a member of the U’s chapter of the American Meteorological Society, agreed.
“The program allows us to choose from a wide variety of products to sell. That way, we can pick what our members will be best at. For us, we’re going to produce barometers to sell on the black market. It should be very profitable,” he said.
While some argue that the programs are neither legal nor humane, others have strongly supported its credibility.
“I have read the ASUU guidelines for student groups backward and forward. Nowhere does it say we can’t put our members into work camps. We are doing things by the book,” Lance Brown, president of the College Republicans, stated.
Other groups, including the greeks, pointed to the same argument.
“It’s not against anything we’ve heard about,” said Steve Jones, president of the interfraternity council. “Besides, we’ve been forcing our members into things?I mean, it’s not against anything we’ve hear about.”
Idonna Givadam, president and founder of the new Apathetic Conformists, would not return phone calls regarding this issue. However, rumors confirm that?in accordance with the group’s guidelines?they will be following whatever everyone else does in implementing the program.
As the idea sweeps the campus, student groups are not the only ones to put the program in place. U administrators, frustrated with the lack of donations and government funds, have decided to make their own camp.
Earlier this week, president Bernie Machen announced officially that they would be starting a student work camp that would draw from ones already established by student groups.
“I really think our labor force will be the unifying factor for the program,” Mike Benson, special assistant to the president, said.
The administration’s camp will produce hair nets?a viable commodity in a cafeteria-rich state like Utah. The proceeds will go to a 25 percent salary increase for Machen, a 3 percent increase for faculty and staff and a full-time bodyguard service for Alma Allred.
“We may also give ASUU a new golf cart,” Benson added. “Gee, those kids work so hard, they barely have time to talk and eat pizza!”
In an effort to make student drafts and/or seizures easier, Career Services will be posting them under the guise of normal job opportunities.
“When you go to that McDonald’s interview, you may actually end up farming turnips for a while,” Jenna Johannssen, director of job postings, laughed.
“It’s not that we are trying to deliberately deceive students, we just don’t want to alarm them.”
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