The student-led drive for the reform of the Student Activities Commission’s funding guidelines continued in a town hall hosted by the commission Tuesday night.

At the town hall, student leaders reiterated many of the criticisms that they have leveled against SAC during the course of the semester for problems created by the new bulk allocation system. But they also proposed concrete reforms that they would like to see carried out.

SAC announced the town hall after more than two dozen campus groups and student leaders signed two open letters criticizing the bulk allocation system implemented at the beginning of the semester and demanded an opportunity to formally voice their concerns.

Andrew Koenig (COL ’12), chairman of the commission, opened the town hall by emphasizing the importance of student feedback to the allocation process.

“It’s really critical for this model to work,” he said, adding that he understood that the lack of opportunities for feedback when the new system was first put in place was problematic.

The biggest complaint voiced by attendees dealt with the bulk allocation model, which predetermines the amount of overall funding awarded to a group for the semester. Because groups can redistribute the funds they are allocated under this system, some groups redirect funds received for small events towards bigger events. Some group leaders said this system encourages them to schedule more small, casual events than members would typically want.

Emma Green (COL ’12), the treasurer of the Philodemic Society, criticized the system for penalizing groups that attempt to put on ambitious, large scale fundraising events while over-allocating for events like casual members-only dinners.

“Why is it that chairs are less valuable than hamburgers?” Green asked, in reference to Philodemic’s struggle to secure funds to rent chairs for weekly debates. She said that the system imposes value judgments on groups.

“That’s just a failure in your core purpose,” she said.

Koenig acknowledged that the skewed incentives created by the system have become a problem.

“The impact has been that it discourages groups — or at least disincentivizes them — to go for the big stuff,” he said.

Aman Shahi (COL ’13), co-captain of GU Jawani, also criticized SAC for forcing the group to focus on events outside of its core mission. For GU Jawani, a bhangra dance team, securing funding for costumes has become more of a worry despite an increase in funding for low-cost social events.

“SAC is essentially making judgments on what the [priorities] of groups are,” he said.

SAC Commissioner Ruiyong Chen (SFS ’13) said that revamping the incentive structure created by the event type categories would be an important long term goal for the commission.

Eitan Paul (SFS ’12), chairman of the International Relations Club and a leading critic of the new funding guidelines this past semester, was the first student to speak.

After reiterating some of the criticisms of the two open letters, Paul proposed a series of concrete steps that he said SAC could implement to reform the system, saying some could go into effect as early as next fall.

One of his central proposals was that SAC groups be allowed to suggest amendments to the funding guidelines. SAC recently revised their constitution to allow for commissioners to propose amendments that can be voted on during the course of the fiscal year, but Paul believes student groups should be a part of the process.

Paul also said he wanted the opportunity for SAC and the groups its represents to meet next year to plan a long-term complete overhaul of the funding guidelines.

“We think we can make a better system,” he said. “We want to help and engage in the process.”

Students also emphasized suggestions for an ad hoc funding process, the freedom to add events that do not require any funding to their programming schedules during the semester and calls for increased transparency.

While commissioners acknowledged the need for greater communication, they also emphasized that SAC meetings have always been open to the public.

Koenig said he could not commit to a schedule yet but said that the group would consider some reforms that might be feasible for the upcoming semester. He added that he would be open to considering the possibility of SAC groups submitting amendments through their commissioners.

GUSA Vice President Greg Laverriere (COL ’12) said he thought that the town hall was an important start to the process.

“It was a great first step,” he said. “Beyond that, you need to actually sit down with clubs.” SAC will begin a preliminary

discussion of how they will incorporate the feedback at their upcoming meeting on Monday.

“This isn’t the end of the conversation,” Koenig said.