Editor, Daily Nexus,

A.S. Finance Board’s recent decision to squander every penny it had allocated for use during both Winter and Spring Quarters of this year really proves that the Students’ Initiative is a useless waste of students’ precious paychecks. Finance Board has a long history of irresponsible spending. For the last year without fail, Finance Board has given away all its money within the first few weeks of each new quarter.

In short, the Students’ Initiative can be likened to giving Paris Hilton $2,200,000. And what is she going to do with that money? Blow it on another useless dress that she will wear once and People magazine will say looks like a trash bag… which is pretty much what A.S. will be doing with the money it will be getting.

I do realize that many indispensable student services will be benefiting from the initiative and, although I’m happy that groups like Amnesty International are getting funding for their activities, I really don’t think they need money for T-shirts. Hell, why doesn’t A.S. just buy me a T-shirt, too, since I’ll be paying $100 dollars next quarter for some group’s T-shirts?

Although the Students’ Initiative does give many student groups some much-needed funding, I believe that funding can come from other sources independent from students’ monthly grocery budgets. The Students’ Initiative, compounded with A.S.’s irresponsible spending habits and now it’s squandering of future quarters’ money, erases any faith I once had in our student government.

Jared Goldschen may live right next door to me, but until Spring Quarter rolls around with a ballot initiative to undo the Students’ Initiative and its $100 fee increase, he is definitely not my neighbor. In the meantime, I’d really like another T-shirt.

REBECCA GAYLE