The Loyola Student Bar Association will require members of law organizations to fill out an accountability report after requesting funds for events.

The one-page form, created on a spreadsheet, is a new addition to SBA policy. At the first meeting of the spring semester on Wednesday, Jan. 19, SBA Vice President Brittney Bullock distributed copies of the form to members.

“Basically, the treasurer of your organization will be filling these out,” Bullock said.

According to SBA President Desmonde Bennett, the forms are a way for SBA to properly allocate funds to student organizations and make sure those funds are used solely for the specified event.

“By seeing if these events have high attendance, or end up costing a great deal more or less than expected, SBA can get a better idea of where the student activities fee money can be put to best use,” Bennett said.

American Bar Association Representative and SBA Executive Officer Philip P. DePaula deals extensively with student law organizations. He deems the organizations to be “responsible and forthright” with the funds they are given. DePaula said SBA is seeking a mutual transparency with its student organizations and that the accountability reports should be looked upon as a positive change within SBA.

“The introduction of this policy shouldn’t be seen as a response to any impropriety; the goal of the accountability reports is transparency,” DePaula said.

A typical accountability report looks like an exercise out of an accounting textbook. It first asks for basic information such as the name of the organization, the name of the event, the date, time and location.

Next, the form has an optional explanation section where students are asked to categorize the event by highlighting from a list of activities and provide any additional descriptions of the event.

The largest part of the form, the itemized budget request, asks for specifics on items bought for an event such as food and drink, lodging for a guest speaker, T-shirts, etc.

The budget request asks for the item’s description, price, quantity and total cost. Additionally, the form asks for the amount SBA allocated for the item, the actual cost of the item, and an explanation of any shortage or surplus of funds.

By reviewing these forms, SBA officials can make the necessary financial changes in order to keep the association’s budgeting in check.

Scott O’Brien can be reached at [email protected]