ASMSU, MSU’s undergraduate student government, has been facing the consequences of its student taxes being withheld by MSU since the student government declined to pass a bill to relocate and transfer funds to the university financial system at the end of the spring semester.
Having lost the main source for their funds, ASMSU now is on a contingency plan to function this summer, ASMSU President Evan Martinak said.
The funds for the student body usually come through the student taxes and recently have been withheld by the university for the upcoming summer semester. ASMSU is issued $18 per student per semester as part of the student tax MSU collects each semester.
University spokesman Kent Cassella said in a previous interview MSU is planning to work with ASMSU on the matter; however, there hasn’t been any communication between MSU and ASMSU since the memorandum was sent out on April 23.
Martinak, who was recently re-elected as president of ASMSU, said the student body still stands on being independent and has not considered transferring funds to MSU.
“We have a contingency plan that would get us through the summer,” Martinak said. “Our plans are not well developed for the long term yet.”
From the university front, there seems to be no development either. University spokesman Jason Cody said there have been no interactions between the university and the student government since the latest memo was sent.
“We are just working between semesters, and there is no update as of today,” Cody said. “We sent a memo on April 23 and haven’t heard from them since then; I am not sure if they responded. This is a complicated issue.”
ASMSU will not receive the student tax until it meets the standards outlined in the Feb. 26 memorandum issued by Vice President for Finance and Treasurer Mark Haas and Vice President for Student Affairs and Services Denise Maybank.
Child development junior Kelsey Panter believes this issue will make ASMSU follow university policies.
“It is fair on MSU’s part to withhold the taxes,” Panter said. “If ASMSU isn’t being transparent about what they are doing with the funds, MSU has every right to take control.”
While Panter thinks ASMSU might not deserve the sole control over finances, she said she thinks the student government could win this battle.
“MSU is going to be pretty strict about it, but I don’t see why ASMSU can’t work things out,” Panter said.
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