Associated Students, Inc. wants to stop a state bill that would require it to make more of its documents public.
ASI Vice President Lucy Nguyen urged student senators to write letters to Governor Schwarzenegger opposing Senate Bill 330 at Wednesday’s ASI Senate meeting.
“In general, it’s a poorly written bill,” said Dave Edwards, ASI associate executive director and the director of the USU. Edwards said the bill would contradict the California Education Code, making it difficult to enforce and “requiring years of legal action” to clear up its wording.
The bill has passed through the state Senate and is awaiting the governor’s signature. It would redefine ASI, Forty-Niner Shops, Inc. and other auxiliary organizations in the California State University system as “public,” requiring them to conform to the California Public Records Act.
Supporters include the California Faculty Association and the California Newspaper Publishers Association. The CSU is against the bill. Student leaders passed a resolution opposing it, and said it would make it more difficult for ASI— a not-for-profit corporation— to run student services.
“To provide student services, we have to work on somewhat of a business model,” said ASI President James Ahumada.
Ahumada said the bill could make it more costly to run the USU. Potential tenants could request documents with the rent amounts of previous businesses occupying spaces in the USU; they may bid lower than they would if they did not know that information.
“It would have an overall negative impact on our financial operations, and demand higher student fees,” Edwards said, referring to the $168 per semester USU fee.
Increased concerns about transparency arose after a controversy at Cal State Stanislaus following an appearance by Sarah Palin. When inquiries were made into the speaker’s fees paid to Palin, they were refused; the university said the negotiations were handled by its nonprofit foundation. A judge eventually ordered the documents released.
Edwards said that Cal State Long Beach’s auxiliary organizations are not like those at Cal State Stanislaus. To reiterate that transparency is a “core value” of ASI, Edwards presented a pamphlet to the Senate with information about the revenue and expenses of ASI and the USU, Forty-Niner Shops and the Foundation.
Gov. Schwarzenegger has until Sept. 30 to sign SB 330 into law.
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