Journalism sophomore Aaron Jordan cues up the next song while working as the DJ for Impact 89FM on Wednesday in Holden Hall. The station will not be receiving $300,000 in already-collected student taxes from the 2012-2013 academic year. The funds will be returned to the students. Adam Toolin/The State News
Impact 89FM will not be receiving $300,000 in already-collected student taxes from the fall 2012 and spring 2013 semesters, with a student refund in the future.
The funds created by a $3 per student per semester tax have been frozen from Impact 89FM since summer 2012 after both ASMSU, MSU’s undergraduate student government, and the Council of Graduate Students, or COGS, raised concerns about holes in the station’s financial records and several years of the MSU Radio Board missing meetings.
Both student governments passed bills at the end of the fall semester requesting that the station undergo an audit and have the radio board convene on a regular basis before allocating the student taxes from the 2012-13 academic year.
“Working together, (Interim Vice President for Student Affairs and Services) Denise Maybank and (Vice President for Finance and Treasurer) Mark Haas have determined because the resolution won’t occur before the end of the semester … it would be best to return both the fall and the spring taxes back to students,” Impact 89FM General Manager Ed Glazer said. “They are going through the best way to complete that.”
Maybank and Haas are responsible for deciding when the tax will be returned to students, Glazer said. Haas declined to comment, referring inquiries to Maybank, who did not return multiple calls and an email.
Since the bills were passed by both student governments, Impact 89FM is in the process of regaining student taxes for next year, and the MSU Radio Board met at least once this semester, COGS President Stefan Fletcher said.
“I know the radio board has met and that is a positive sign,” Fletcher said. “There are positives signs in relation to some of the requirements that COGS and ASMSU laid forth for.”
Another positive sign in the mind of ASMSU President Evan Martinak is the radio station working on filing an audit for the financial records. The group is choosing an auditing firm and determine whether they will conduct a full external, financial or forensic audit, Martinak said.
Impact 89FM has been running off a reserve emergency fund during the year and will continue to use those funds, Glazer said. He isn’t necessarily worried about the station not receiving the student tax next year, but did point out that might happen.
While the loss of a substantial funding source for the station is upsetting, Glazer said he is optimistic about the future and believes this can serve as a learning tool for Impact 89FM.
“It’s disappointing, but we can’t change it,” Glazer said. “I think the most important thing for us is (to) adopt the types of business practices that other student groups use for insuring that they have accountability for the students who they service. I don’t know why we didn’t do this in the past, but it is very important that we get on board with that.”
Support student media! Please consider donating to The State News and help fund the future of journalism.
