This amount of money was already allocated to MSU Safe Place’s annual Race for the Place 5K event last spring — but they never received it, said Sandte Stanley, a Safe Place volunteer who was a representative on ASMSU’s Student Assembly in the spring. Stanley also is the Academic Assembly representative for the College of Social Sciences.

“Nobody is sure on the details of what happened,” she said. “The paperwork was filled out, but the proper papers never got to the desk to the person who allocates the money out. You can’t put the blame on anybody — nobody can. No one knows where it broke down.”

Michael Leahy, ASMSU Student Assembly’s chairman, said as soon as Stanley was told Safe Place didn’t receive the money, they took immediate action.

“I wasn’t in the leadership position last year, so I can’t say if the paperwork got lost or not,” he said. “But we fixed it as soon as I was aware of it.”

Stanley will continue her volunteer work at MSU Safe Place again this year.

“I worked with the women who came into Safe Place, and it was a very moving experience,” she said. “It’s good to help students and the people in MSU’s community in crisis situations.”

Some students view the $5,000 allocation as a positive move for ASMSU.

“Safe Place can use the donation dollars to more widely publicize their services and become a more known on-campus student resource,” family community services senior Stephanie Cerqua said.

Chemistry sophomore Jamie Everett said the donation to Safe Place is a great idea, but she isn’t sure if $5,000 is enough to truly make a difference.

“Instead of ASMSU giving all of (the) money, there should be fundraisers to help them get going more,” she said.

Other students think $5,000 is a little slim considering the money ASMSU has available.

“There probably should have been more allocated,” finance senior Arash Ahmadpour said. “This not only is a good cause but a worthy cause that deserves more attention.”