By Katie Clary
News Assistant
In yet another complication from the Waves of Mercy concert, students involved say the benefit event still hasn’t paid the charities.
Despite the Student Government Association’s announcement at Convocation last month, neither Hats Off for Cancer nor the Reflux Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome Association (RSDSA) have seen the $1,000 pledged to each of them.
Senior Tara Lawrence, the founder of Hats Off, an organization that provides hats for child cancer victims, knew something was wrong a month ago after she read an article in the Graphic describing how the concert’s proceeds benefited her charity and others.
“I read the article and said — ‘wait a second,’” Lawrence said. “We have not received any money for the concert.”
Last week she e-mailed SGA President Jason Palmer, asking for clarification. Palmer informed her that surprise expenditures in the budget had slowed the process. Now Lawrence wonders whether the charities will receive donations at all, saying Palmer remained “very ambiguous” on that subject.
Palmer said he doesn’t know if SGA can follow through with the $2,000 dedicated to the charities.
“I have no idea, it’s too early to say,” Palmer said. “Optimistically I’d say yes, there’s no reason they shouldn’t get paid.”
SGA won’t know if there is money available until Treasurer Eric Burns conducts the mid-semester financial review in March.
“Our main goal is to end the year without a deficit,” Palmer said, describing how he wants to avoid last year’s budget problems that he attributed to the Third Eye Blind concert. “We feel we owe that to students.”
But Lawrence also feels students deserve to hear the whole story. After the Jan. 7 Convo when Palmer briefly described the concert’s successful donations, students approached her expressing their satisfaction that “at least the charities got money,” which so far, remains untrue.
“It’s just misleading, and I don’t think that’s fair,” she said.
Palmer said he apologizes if students felt misled, but that wasn’t his intention.
As to why he reported that SGA had paid charities which they hadn’t?
“Looking back, it probably wasn’t the wisest thing to do,” he said.
In the meantime, Hats Off for Cancer and the RSDSA will have to wait until SGA calculates the final figures.
“I know there’s a whole SGA hoopla about the budget and everything,” Lawrence said, adding that she has nothing against Palmer personally. The Hats Off founder is just frustrated. “So many kids could have been helped by now, especially during the holiday season.”
Palmer said he understands. His mother, who suffers from reflux sympathetic dystrophy syndrome, the painful neurological condition that inspired the benefit concert, is getting sicker. But that doesn’t change the budget.
“We have a big job to do,” Palmer said. “We want students to see that there’s a lot of thought put into each dollar spent.”
Lawrence agrees, but just wishes that had happened all along.
“He could easily have said the money will be donated,” she said. “But the fact is he said the money has been donated.”
February 19, 2004