Editorial: An out-of-scope situation

When Tiësto postponed his concert in early October, it likely took away the only chance UNH students had to see a large-scale show on campus this semester. That is because the Student Committee on Popular Entertainment, or SCOPE, has effectively been on suspension since the beginning of the school year. And it is unclear when they will have the chance to begin operating again. 

As reported in an Oct. 5 article in The New Hampshire, “SCOPE on deferred suspension after incident,” SCOPE was put on deferred suspension after two new members reportedly stole restaurant signs in Portsmouth this past April, and SCOPE leadership failed to handle the incident properly. An advisory board was supposed to be created to oversee SCOPE’s operations and the organization would then have to fulfill a number of requirements to be reinstated. The advisory board would have to authorize and supervise all of SCOPE’s internal activities through fall 2013. 

But two months into the semester, an advisory board has yet to be put into place. SCOPE cannot be reinstated until the board is formed and as a result, the organization has essentially been suspended for much of this semester anyway. 

In fact, it is unclear where exactly SCOPE currently stands and when they will be able to begin operating again. SCOPE members are not allowed to talk to The New Hampshire or any other press organization about their current standing. And MUB staff has either deflected or been unwilling to answer our questions concerning SCOPE. 

The problem is that SCOPE has been granted a $162,400 Student Activity Fee subsidy for the 2012-13 fiscal year. That is money directly out of students’ pockets. Students deserve to know what the next step is for an organization that has been granted a budget of that size. It has been nearly two months since the start of the semester, yet SCOPE still appears to be in limbo, waiting for an advisory board to be formed so that it can move on from its past mistakes. 

The student body is being done a disservice by the inaction of the MUB staff and their unwillingness to even communicate about the matter. They must allow for more transparency in the future when student-run organizations funded by student dollars are the issue.