After an offensive prank e-mail was sent out to the International Relations Club’s more than 350-person listserv last week, the Student Activities Commission imposed sanctions on the club at their Monday meeting. Instead of funding two or three Model United Nations conferences, as they have in the past, SAC will only be providing funding for one next semester.
“The club is definitely attempting to make amends, and we appreciate their efforts,” SAC Chair Aakib Khaled (SFS ‘10) said. “It’s unfortunate that the e-mail was sent out by one individual and the rest of the club has had to pay the price for that, but the fact that it did go out is still a problem.”
The e-mail, which was formatted to look like a typical weekly update message, contained several references to binge drinking and underage alcohol consumption along with sexist comments. The IRC has rescinded the membership of the person who sent the e-mail and has updated its listserv to insure that only active board members will be able to send out e-mails.
According to Khaled, SAC’s main concern was that the e-mail indicated the club might use some of its funding for supporting alcohol related events and that these implications were made public. Besides curtailing funding, SAC also wants the IRC to sponsor two events in conjunction with outside clubs that might have been offended by the contents of the e-mail. SAC will also require the Georgetown International Relations Association, an organization closely related to the IRC that funds many of its activities, to submit reports of how the money they give to the IRC is used.
“It’s a shame for the incoming freshmen next year, because they won’t be able to get a clear idea of all the activities the IRC normally takes part in,” Monica Munn (SFS ‘09), the Chief Executive Officer of GIRA and a member of the IRC, said.
In addition to sending out an apology message to its listserv, the IRC also held a town-hall meeting on Monday to address the e-mail. At the meeting, IRC President Jasdeep Singh (SFS ‘10), in whose name the e-mail was sent, apologized again for the incident and said the club was trying to rectify the situation. Most members present at the meeting expressed disappointment and anger, and were worried that the situation would negatively affect the IRC’s overall image, undermining the solid reputation they have built up by hosting North American Invitational Model UN conferences and winning several collegiate Model UN conferences.
“I respect the decisions SAC concluded as a responsible funding board, but I cannot deny that I was disappointed that our funding was cut for Fall 2009 based on the current situation,” Singh wrote in an e-mail. “I firmly believe the IRC has done everything in its power to address the situation, but I look forward to working closely with SAC to restore the standing of the IRC.”
Solid reputation? That seems a major understatement for a club has won almost every conference attended on the MUN circuit, participates in major philanthropy works, hosts one of Georgetown’s most successful recruiting tools, brought Ban-ki Moon in last year and had a videochat with Qaddafi.
Is SAC jealous of IRC success? Why would the university choose to undermine a thriving Georgetown institution?
We complain about the ANC being hyper-picky? Try SAC, the unelected body who just cut two Model UN conferences from the IRC because some kid sent out an inappropriate joke to *their own listserv*?
This is fucking ridiculous, but because the IRC gets their money from SAC, they have to bend over and take it (or be threatened with more cuts). Asinine.