Pound Foolish

Last year's Student Council spent more money than any other in the College's history. It sliced deep into its reserve fund and left this year's Council dangerously close to being insolvent. When the present group meets all its inherited obligations, it will have only about a thousand dollars; this is one quarter the amount that last year's body was left by its predecessors in 1948.

Here is a situation where crying over spilt shekels might pay dividends in the future. Last year, more than $2,000 was spent for printing and related expenses by the Council and its subsidiary organizations such as class committees, dance committees, and the Combined Charities Committee. Hundreds of these dollars could have been saved had the Council given as many printing jobs as possible to one printing firm. As it was, different Council committees had their printing done by more than a dozen different shops often without trying to find the least expensive printer; frequently without obtaining previous authorization by the Council or its treasurer. Similar lack of organization occurred in the typing, mimeographing, and printing of letters and reports.

The elimination of this sort of financial carelessness lies in the establishment of a central purchasing policy. Under such a policy, no member of the Council or a related committee would be permitted to buy anything without first getting the approval of a Councilman in charge of spending. This "business manager" would be acquainted with comparative rates of printers and other businessmen and would be in a position to drive a much better bargain for the Council than the inadequately informed committeemen who have dealt with such matters in the past.

Lack of financial foresight by some members of the 1948-49 Council has created a serious situation as a new Council starts its year. Attention to economy moves like these suggested above can help this new Council to get back on more solid ground and to stay there in the future.