The women's varsity basketball team celebrates their victory against rival JFK on January 8th. Source: Adelina Hernandez
The women’s varsity basketball team celebrates their victory against rival JFK on January 8th. Source: Adelina Hernandez
On November 25, 2019, C.K. McClatchy’s Women’s Varsity Basketball team beat Valley High School 82-28 in their first game of the 2019-2020 season. The stands were filled with students and families excited to see the Lions’ debut.
Lead by Coach Ota, McClatchy played wonderfully. Right from the start they secured a strong lead. In the first half, CKM was ahead 47-8, making it clear that Valley was no match for the Lady Lions. Throughout the game, they continued to increase their lead until they won by almost 60 points.
All of the Ladies played extremely well, exhibiting teamwork and skills that will make it difficult for any team to beat them in the future.
Last year, the Lady Lions made it to Norcal Semifinals, and it seems that this year they are well on their way to having an amazing season again. McClatchy is looking forward to seeing how far their Ladies go this season.
Mia Waki (‘21) and Imani Felix (‘21) dominated the court, each contributing greatly to CKM’s victory. Jaidyn Wallace (‘20) stunned the crowd with her many 3-pointers.
“I think that my team was prepared. We worked really hard in practice to make sure we were ready,” said Felix. “This game was just the beginning, and it showed us things we need to work on in order to be better for big games later in the season. I hope that we can make it to Sections and play at Golden 1.”
Each time one of their teammates made a basket, the Ladies would cheer, even rising occasionally for extra encouragement. The sportsmanship displayed was heartwarming, and their support for each other was obvious.
On December 10, 2019, a student forum was held at C K McClatchy High School to discuss the course elimination.
The meeting was organized mainly by Gaby Arguello, a junior in HISP, and Janine Milne, a junior in LPPA. They partnered with district members Matt Turkie and Lisa Murawski to run this strictly single topic forum.
To begin the discussion, CKM Principal Peter Lambert announced that all teachers necessary to fill the places of substitute teachers were hired.
Following Lambert, the goal of the discussion was further elaborated upon. The district had plans to eliminate courses including Molecular Biology and Math 1+. Due to a shared annoyance among students regarding these plans, this assembly was organized in order for district members to hear student opinions.
Arguello and Milne shared some of the student concerns that had been relayed to them, the majority of which were about Molecular Biology. They recounted that some students had chosen CKM over other schools because of Molecular Biology, and the curriculum, created by former CKM teacher Elizabeth Coleman in collaboration with UC Davis, was made to offer more hands on experience. Students felt that the elimination of this course option was unfair for those interested in higher sciences and the pursuit of them.
The district responded, saying they want to hear students on this issue and hear their thoughts on those decisions. Turkie went through each possible eliminated course, beginning with Math 1+, which he claimed is still available.
Next, Turkie went over the decisions made about the science courses. He shared that teachers “came together” to make changes to the offered science classes, and had two choices. The first choice was to integrate earth science into three other classes, and the second was to keep the traditional courses. The committee was unable to reach a consensus, and the first choice won with a 75% majority.
Regarding Molecular Biology specifically, Turkie stated that due to the plentiful student concerns, the superintendent was going to look into the issue to make a final decision.
The district members shared their goal of equity over equality, and Murawski stated that their “goal is to make sure that students have a future ready.”
Many questions asked by the students were answered by Turkie, though Trustee Murawksi was the frontliner for the forum.
A student asked Turkie and Murawski, “If we eliminate the rigorous classes, how will eliminating that class encourage students to feel like they’re on a higher track?” As for a response, they said that it was ‘a good question and a good point.’ In addition, they said that there would still be rigorous options and allow access to them.
In regards to the new biology curriculum, a student asked if the new standards will satisfy the students and prepare them for Honors Chemistry and AP Biology. Turkie responded by saying that the new plans are still being ‘piloted,’ but will be first executed during the 2020-2021 school year.
“Change is hard, when introducing something new there will be bumps in the road,’ said Matt Turkie.
When asked about how colleges will view this, Turkie responded by saying that colleges prefer three years of lab sciences and that they don’t care if its biology or earth science.
While talking about the rigorous classes, students asked about how will other students be able to pass the integrated biology class if they aren’t even passing the regular biology classes. Turkie and Murawski responded by saying that the right teaching will allow for the student to pass. Also, he stated that he has an enormous respect for the teachers and that this what the students in the Sacramento Unified School District needs.
Students began to voice their opinion on why their voices weren’t being heard and why they aren’t taking the students into consideration, however Turkie said that he wants for more students to speak up and that there aren’t enough student voices at the school.
In addition, students voiced their opinions on ‘lower leveled students’ and how their different backgrounds will affect their abilities in these rigorous classes. Turkie and Murawski says that everything all comes down to their belief in students and their abilities to learn. However they stated that people can’t put it down to their background and their home lives, students needed access to challenging courses, and that there has to be “balance high expectations for students with support for students.”
As a wrap up question, students asked how how will their voices be heard and that the decision with Molecular Biology will not be forgotten. Turkie answered by saying that it was ‘being considered today.”
To finish, Matt Turkie said, “I thought that the student forum was really good, and what I’m impressed with is the thoughtful questions, the processing which people are doing, people are engaging in a very authentic manner and I really appreciate that. I always want to engage in an authentic manner. It’s interesting, sometimes we get things right, sometimes we get things wrong, sometimes we agree, sometimes we disagree, and I think all of that is fine and we should all be reflective and open to dialogue and we should all be open to listening to one another and learning from one another, and I think that much of that happened tonight, and I really appreciate the opportunity to be here.”
I have been a member of the Humanities and International Studies Program (HISP) for four years. Like many things in life, I have found that the value of the community is almost entirely contingent on the people you surround yourself with. HISP is touted as our school’s most academically rigorous program, attracting high-achieving students from across the city with narratives of intellectual stimulus and alumni attendance at a host of elite universities. The program does have an impressive history of academic success, but it also contains peculiar social dynamics that are worth exploring.
During my years in HISP, I have often oscillated between apathy and enthusiasm. I entered the program an academically motivated and intensely engaged, if not over-zealous, student. As time went on, those things began to change for me, as they did for many other HISP students.
I sat down with 3 anonymous HISP students (one junior and two seniors,) and they echoed a similar sentiment; the words “draining,” and “exhausting,” seemed to be a centerpiece of the conversation. We uncovered a few insights into why this may be, but the bottom line is that the convergence of hyper-competitive academics with a volatile group of students produces an environment that quickly becomes toxic.
HISP largely attracts highly-motivated and often ambitious individuals seeking academic and competitive success. This is no accident — the program is advertised as exclusively for only the most academically motivated students. “This can be dangerous,” an anonymous HISP junior told me, “it seems like HISP singles out the type-a people and exacerbates the situation.” Given that competitive students are drawn towards HISP, it is no surprise that the academics of the program are often criticized as cut-throat.
Starting early freshman year, HISP students are told that college is the ultimate goal, but that its highly competitive and we are going to have to fight our way to the top. While there is no doubt that college admissions are competitive, it is worth examining whether or not this is a reasonable pretense for education.
Increasingly, it seems to me that we have lost any semblance of motivation outside the abstract goal of “going to a good college.” When the natural curiosity and desire to learn goes out the window, all we are left with is already-stressed students and a highly competitive learning environment. From my perspective, such conditions have driven many HISP students towards two attitudes regarding school: absolute apathy or unhealthy fixation.
In any given class, there are between seven and ten intensely motivated and very attentive students. They are the ones with their hands crossed, pencils at the ready. In order to maintain their academic virtues, an exorbitant amount of work is required.
“Its consuming,” one student told me in reference to keeping up with nightly homework, “and it’s only two of my seven classes.” Often obsessive about, “points,” these students often become consumed by the game-like structure of high school, racking up as many points as they can so that one day they can go to college. I will openly admit my own tendency to do so, as it seems the only recourse in an endless cycle of school-work.
The second faction HISP students often find themselves steeped in apathy to the extent that it all begins to seem meaningless. Indeed, when it seems the only reward is points and the only objective is to get to college (where you will have to earn more points), the value of it all becomes foggy. Compounded with often cut-throat and competitive peers, it’s no wonder that many students seem uninterested in their school work.
Those who do not work well under the strict formula for critical thought espoused by the program often feel isolated or patronized by their peers and teachers. This is because the competitive, rigid structure of the program has been naturalized over the years, and deviations are almost always punished via exile by the “type-a,” students or low grades from teachers, a catch-22 that discourages differentiation from the norm in any way.
While it is true that academic disinterest is common across all programs and backgrounds, it is uniquely troubling in HISP due to the academic record of the student population. If the program truly attracts only the best and the brightest, it’s even more troubling that so many kids lose engagement within the first couple of years.
I will not pretend I have a solution for the problems present in HISP culture. There is no quick-fix solution to such an environment, something that seems lost on administrators and teachers at times. What is necessary is a broader cultural shift away from pitting students against one-another, both in the classroom and outside. HISP is not a college student factory — it is an academic program meant to enhance critical thinking capabilities and leave students with a greater sense of the humanities.
When we treat it as simply another couple of classes, we allow it to drive us towards either apathy or over-enthusiasm. It’s time that we stop treating one-another as numbers in the points-maximization scheme that we have been tricked into thinking is a measurement of our personal value. The isolated, often hostile community we find ourselves in is not an inevitability — it’s been carefully constructed, and that means it can be deconstructed.
The McClatchy debate team is in the best shape it’s been in a long time. Coach Stephen Goldberg has worked wonders with the program, elevating it to be one of the most consistently successful and well-respected competitors in the country.
McClatchy can boast several consecutive years of qualification to the Tournament of Champions, a dream few debaters are ever able to realize. In a community dominated almost exclusively by wealthy private schools, McClatchy has managed to maintain its excellency with little to no financial support. That is no small feat, and it’s only possible because of engaging and innovative fundraising like the public debate event that was held on Wednesday, October 23rd in McClatchy’s theatre.
After months of tedious planning and jumping through hoops, senior debater Abby Gray organized a public debate between three of McClatchy’s rising debate stars and some of the most important politicians in California.
Mayor Darrel Steinberg, Lieutenant Governor Elena Kounalakis, and Sacramento County Supervisor Patrick Kennedy faced off against Kate Tully, Eden Getahun, and Ethan Pham, three junior debaters. In a one-on-one format, the six participants sparred on gun control, impeachment, and the legitimacy of the electoral college.
However, the dialogue was not confined to the debaters. In a rapid-fire, town hall format, McClatchy families were given the opportunity to confront some of the most pressing issues facing our nation with some of the most connected people around.
Audience members were encouraged to ask questions to the debaters stimulating, conversations on a host of engaging issues, ranging from the second amendment to the upcoming US-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement.
Unsurprisingly, the event received rave reviews. “It actually seems like something important is happening,” one student told me, “and it’s refreshing!” All three special guests expressed their gratitude and willingness to participate in future events, comments which motivated Coach Goldberg to hold future public debate fundraisers.
The event earned over $2,500 for the McClatchy debate team, all of which will go towards traveling expenses and coaching to keep the squad successful. “It went really well,” Abby told me, “thanks so much to everyone who came out!”
The C.K. McClatchy cross country team participated in four memorable events on Saturday, November 16, during the San Joaquin Section finals. Each individual had to qualify for this meet during Subsections on the previous Saturday, so the team was excited to showcase their talent. However, they were up against tough competition on the hardest course of the season, Willow Hills.
Frosh-soph girls individual qualifiers Larissa Yee and Michele Wee raced from the starting line at 9:20 a.m. After conquering the 2 mile course, they each achieved personal records of 14:45 and 15:33.8 respectively. Larissa outsprinted two competitors to get 18th place and Michele got a solid 40th place.
Twenty minutes later, the frosh-soph boys team took to the starting line. The race official sounded the gun but a few seconds after the boys left the line, the gun went off again, signaling a restart. After two more tries, the race finally started smoothly, but CKM’s second runner Fletcher Lux suffered a bad shoulder wound and other scrapes from getting trampled in the first 200 meters. However, the team prevailed and finished in 5th place with a combined score of 113, completing a goal agreed upon during this summer’s cross country camp. During this race, first runner Jackson Wedel also achieved 3rd place overall.
Next was the varsity girls race. As the second place seed, the team had high hopes of qualifying for the state championship in Clovis on November 30th. But only three teams would get the chance to move on. The race began optimistically, but during the first mile, one of the top runners Louie McNatt fell on her previously injured knee. Unable to continue, she was carried off the course by Coach Warren. It was then up to her teammates to pass as many competitors from Davis and Woodcreek in order to secure their spot in state. At the finish line, the CKM varsity girls nervously awaited the results, thinking that they may come in fourth. However, when the frosh soph boys alerted that they achieved second place, cheers broke out amongst the teammates. Lead by Anna McNatt, the team had a combined score of 79 and a total time of 100:58.
Finally, the varsity boys race began at 11:00 a.m. There was tough competitors from Jesuit and Davis, but CKM solidly took third place, finishing with a San Joaquin Sections plaque and medals. In addition, sophomore Joe Wiley finished 5th, securing him an individual spot at state for the second year in a row. The varsity boys achieved a score of 122 and a combined time of 86:30. Their hard work and dedication allowed them to close out the season with a successful performance. Each of Joe’s teammates eagerly awaits his race at state.
Source: Rick Dreher
This is a challenging season for the CKM cross country team, but Coach Watkins always says “hard work just equals more hard work.” The varsity girls team of Louie McNatt, Molly Dreher, Julia Heckey, Anna McNatt, Camille Combrink, Olivia Johnson, and Kary Soubinh can be seen alongside Joe Wiley and will continue to practice for the state meet.
The debate of which coffee shop is best has been long-lasting, but at last it comes to an end. Judging Freeport Bakery, Chocolate Fish, Pete’s Coffee, and Espresso Metropolitan, we have finally been able to know the true coffee-champion.
To judge the cafes, we ordered a small, iced latte and the store’s best-selling pastry. We made no adjustments to the drink, so some of the drinks could have possibly been bettered if one were to make adjustments according to their taste. The coffee, the pastry, and the overall cost are rated on a scale of 1-5, with five being the best and one being the worst.
A small cafe very close to McClatchy, Freeport has good drinks and pastries for amazing prices. However, they have a 30 minute seating policy and are not opposed to kicking students out if they linger.
Their lattes cost $2.70, which was a very good price for a mediocre drink. Though the coffee was a good price, the taste just did not hit the mark. The milk taste overpowered the coffee and it really didn’t taste like coffee at all. It genuinely just tasted more like milk than it did a latte.
Their best-selling pastry was the cinnamon snail, costing $2.30, but due to personal biases of not liking cinnamon rolls, it was judged a little bit harder than the other pastries. However, for one who does like cinnamon, the snail is huge, and only costed $2.30.
Chocolate Fish has a nice, modern atmosphere. The ambiance was very relaxing, which is extremely good for a day of studying. Also, the coffee shop very much fitted a ‘Tumblr’ and bay windows with a view of Freeport Boulevard.
Their iced lattes cost a whole $4.65, which is more than our high school student wallets can afford. And, for costing that much, one would expect it to (at least) be extremely good. Instead, we found that the coffee tasted quite watered down and was made with too much milk.
The medium-sized blueberry muffin was delicious and, rightfully so, as it cost $3.10. It was moist and light, and it had a good amount of large blueberries in it.
Peet’s Coffee–Coffee: 4/5; Pastry: 4/5; Cost: 3/5
Peet’s Coffee is a long way from McClatchy. Located in Crocker Village, it’s a little too far to be going without a car for just a coffee and a pastry.
The coffee was amazing and costed $3.90. It was strong and not too milky, and it was the only coffee that we actually wanted to finish drinking. Though the cup size was smaller than the other cafes, the price was still worth it.
Peet’s best-selling pastry was the chocolate chunk cookie, which cost $2.50. While it was a bit expensive for a cookie, it was a good size and tasted wonderful. It was gooey and sweet, and every bit of a stereotypical grandma’s homemade cookie.
Espresso Metropolitan, better known as Metro, has an amazing atmosphere. A great study spot for many students, Metro is always warm and welcoming for those needing a place to go after school.
The coffee cost $3.35, which is a solid price, but it was incredibly bitter. This may appeal to somebody who likes strong coffee, but we are not those people. There was also not enough milk in the latte, which only emphasized the bitter taste.
Their best-selling pastries were the coffee cakes, and, out of personal preference, we chose the red velvet coffee cake. It cost $2.75, which is another pretty good price. It was moist and delicious, but it was also cold to the point of almost being rock hard.
Out of all of our options, we reached the decision that Peet’s Coffee is the best cafe, which is slightly upsetting, because we would rather support one of the local cafes than a chain. However, because of its mild prices, amazing coffee, and great cookies, it won our favor.
In smaller categories, the best cost goes to Freeport Bakery, the best drink goes to Peet’s Coffee, and the best pastry goes to Chocolate Fish.
Out of all of the cafes, however, Mia said that she would most likely go to Freeport, because she would rather spend less money, or to Metro, because she loves the atmosphere. Michael said that Peet’s Coffee was the best choice because of the power and balance of the coffee, but if one wanted a place closer, Metro was definitely the best choice.
Account documents showing request for withdrawal. Credit: O. C. Carle
Account documents showing request for withdrawal. Credit: O. C. Carle
C.K. McClatchy’s Principal Peter Lambert and Associated Student Body coordinator Darell T. Martin are alleged to have diverted over $8,000 of student-fundraised money from the 2017 class account, according to social science teachers and 2018 class sponsors Lori Jablonski and Tim Griffin.
For their senior gift, the class of 2017 intended on adorning the lobby of McClatchy with golden plaques of famous alumni–a “Wall of Fame” exhibition. Class sponsors Jablonski and Griffin, helped students research and set aside $11,541 from class funds for the exhibit.
To ensure the project’s execution, Jablonski and Griffin were deliberate in CCing Principal Lambert on an email chain that specified the exact amount of money in the 2017 class account, along with various project intricacies. After the district vetoed the exhibition at the beginning of the 2018 school year due to architectural concerns, the exhibit went back to the drawing board.
“[Principal Lambert was] well aware that there was a project that didn’t happen,” said Griffin. When shown the coinciding documents, Mr. Lambert repeatedly claimed he didn’t remember the history of the account.
Throughout the remainder of the 2018-19 school year, “Mr. Griffin would check in with the bookkeeper every 6 months, just to make sure we still have money in the account,” said Jablonski. Moraima Ibarra, the bookkeeper/controller during the 2018 school year, confirmed that the money in the account remained at $11,541 and was ready to be deployed for a new version of the senior project.
According to the Account Analysis Report ranging from July 1, 2018 to Aug 28, 2019, the $11,541 in the 2017 class account remained untouched until June 12, the very last day of the 2018-2019 school year.
On June 12, 2018, $8,722 was diverted from the account to pay off various unauthorized overtime charges ranging from $10 to $6,349. This extensive string of withdrawal forms also indicate that only Martin and Principal Peter Lambert authorized the withdrawals of thousands of dollars, without the required signatures of a student and the class sponsor overseeing the account.
When asked about the authorization signature of his own overtime charges, Martin said “back when I worked the overtime I wasn’t in this position, but then I got this position so it’s part of the job so would I sign off on my own overtime.” He continued, “I don’t get to say ‘oh I can’t do that because the question would be- did you work graduation as a you know in the overtime capacity and the answer would be yes, because again, I wasn’t a teacher at that time.”
In the Account Analysis Report, Joakima Gregg’s overtime was the only transfer in which her exact overtime (in hours) was not reported. In all other overtime payments to campus monitors, their hours were listed in the purpose.
When Lambert was asked about the withdrawals, including Gregg’s overtime, he said that the district mandates a blanket overtime withdrawal that he cannot control. While proceeding to say that he “doesn’t recall” the history of the $6,000 withdrawal form and why it has his signature on it.
At the time of this printing, Martin has not yet given a response when asked about the withdrawals he signed for that account
When the 2019-20 school year began, C.K. McClatchy obtained a new controller Deborah Greco. On Sept 10, Griffin met with Greco to confirm that the account stood at $11,541. However, when Greco pulled the official financial invoice per Griffin’s request, the account balance only stood at $2,819.
Upon further investigation, Jablonski and Griffin uncovered the string of withdrawals from the account to pay off staff overtime claims and various other charges. Griffin says that “the authorization to pay out a lot of these checks was done on June 12 –the last day of school …and there was no student body signature.”
A response regarding the withdrawals without student authorization was not received by Martin. Principal Lambert does not recall the history of the account.
“The line item invoice of the withdrawals from the account… included overtime pay for people including about $6,300 to Ms. Gregg,” Jablonski explained. $6,000 of the $8,000 withdrawn was paid to Joakima Gregg.
Joakima Gregg held the position of the campus controller prior to Ms. Greco and Ms. Ibara.
Griffin explained that $6,000 in overtime pay is the equivalent of 213 hours of overtime, or about 8 straight days of work. However, the official withdrawal report leaves no indication of when those hours took place, or what those 213 hours were spent doing. As the only two people who signed the authorization form, without student approval, Martin and Lambert are the only people who can explain how such a great accumulation of overtime functions.
“The questionable thing here is that this was all done in secrecy with our principal and student activities director (Martin),” Griffin said. ”If we hadn’t checked, then the money would still be missing.”
In an email sent on behalf of class sponsors Lori Jablonski and Tim Griffin, addressed to the district’s deputy superintendent, the manager and head of legal services, and the district’s Auditor Analyst, it read: “We recently discovered that $8721.79 of student raised money was improperly used to reimburse payment to several current and one former district employee for unspecified ‘overtime’ work dating back over two years. We had no knowledge of the reimbursements and note that they appear to be approved by our principal.”
A day later, Lambert visited Griffin and Jablonski in the social science hall. “Here at lunch, Lambert comes in with two pieces of paper and he says something to the effect of ‘…There was a mistake, and the money is back in the account. Everything is fine.’ And he hands me the piece of paper so I can see that the money is back [in the account]. But the piece of paper he hands me was not the class of 2017, it was the class of 2018…and they had done similar things with their class money also.” Jablonski explained.
Jablonski and Griffin explained that money was withdrawn from not one, but two class accounts unbeknownst to all class sponsors and students who dedicated hours to fundraise this very money through bake sales, Quickly fundraisers, and car washes.
As of now, the Class of 2017 and 2018 are now fully reimbursed. With $8,722 from 2017, and $3,497 from 2018, there was ultimately a combined total of $12,219 diverted.
However, Jablonski and Griffin reflected that it took Lambert less than a day to rectify the accounts–from September 10 at 5 pm, to September 11 at 12:30 pm, Lambert (and the district) transferred over $12,000 back into the accounts from a “Student Equity Fund.”
Bridget Martinez, one of the class of 2018 sponsors, was in the social science office during the interaction with Lambert on Sept 11. Upon realizing that her class account had been withdrawn from, she proceeded to look for any inappropriate activity that was overlooked towards the end of the 2018 school year. She discovered a string of withdrawals from the class account on June 12, the last day of school, and the same day that the 2017 money was taken.
Ms. Martinez said that she “didn’t find out stuff was taken until they put the money back into the account.” This is because “at the end of the year last year, we thought we had used every last penny of the account.”
Yet, after Lambert said both accounts were reimbursed in full, Ms. Martinez, not knowing anything had even been missing to begin with, now saw $3,497 back in the 2018 class fund.
Similarly, this diverted class money was used to payout overtime claims to various staff members without her approval or student authorization. However, one major peculiarity that Martinez took note of was an overtime payout to Martin.
Martinez explained that Martin would have requested and sign off on his own overtime charge of $225 for his reported “Overtime” at Senior Graduation.
Upon seeing Martin’s overtime payout, Ms. Martinez commented, “There’s some illegitimacy to it when you write your own invoice and your own hours and sign off on paying yourself… it seems like a huge conflict of interest….”.
Unsure as to what the now graduated class of 2018 intends to do with the now reimbursed money draws more frustration for Martinez. She says the entire situation is “unfair, unjust and immoral… I don’t have any faith that anything is going to be done about it…. I’m not going to go to the principal and be like, that was pretty shady…definitely Mr. Martin doesn’t care that what he did was shady, and I don’t have any faith in the district supporting claims by teachers…”
Greco has since tightened procedures on account withdrawals to ensure this same instance of monetary diversion without the proper authorization does not occur again. However, when asked about this instance of inappropriate administrative behavior, she said The Prospector should not rile up students over a past controversy that has since been resolved, as the accounts are now rectified in full.
Sacramento City Unified School District relies on the Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team Handbook (FCMAT) for ASB fund procedures and overall financial budgeting. The official handbook stipulates that 3 people’s approval are necessary for new purchase orders or withdrawals. FCMAT cites California Legislative Education Code Article 2 (48933) which specifically says that fund expenditure is “subject to the approval of each of the following three persons… an employee or official of the school district… the certificated employee who is the designated adviser… and a representative of the student body organization.”
Every purchase order for overtime charges, is required to be signed off by a student representative.
The problem the class sponsors have is that all $12,219 dollars were spent without student and advisor knowledge and approval.
FCMAT also says that if an account is inactive for 18 months the account funds can be returned to ASB general. However, class sponsors of 2017 maintained an email chain and constant check ins with the controller and Lambert which affirmed their interest for the money in the account. Griffin says he would argue that those constant actions were in fact proof that this money was not just left lying around for the taking. Whereas, the 2018 account was inactive for only four months.
Griffin says, “The people who took the money from the account, knew, and they were even apart of the planning [for the exhibit]…. The idea that he didn’t know [what the money was meant for] is just false.”
