Though the overall theme of your Feb. 6 editorial possessed merit, the figures and some of your recommendations, unfortunately, possessed little truth or foresight.

It is, as you noted, extremely important that student organizations request only necessary, uninflated and prioritized expenses from the Student Organization Budget Committee. As your editorial suggested, organizations are expected to seek funding sources in addition to the SOBC, including private fund-raising activities.

However, when student organizations are asked to "scale-down their size" they are asked to exclude potential student members that could learn from and contribute to the interpersonal, human relations and leadership skills that student organizations promote. For these reasons, the SOBC has never advocated these suggestions to student organizations, as your editorial did.

Instead, the SOBC knows that its funding disparity will only be resolved with both student and administrative action. Student organizations must efficiently minimize costs, plan carefully, co-sponsor expenses and search for funding from outside of the University. The University must maintain and increase the funds availbale to the SOBC so that student life at Universtiy Park will continue to develop and to provide essential programs and services.

In the 1990-1991 fiscal year, the SOBC initially allocated only 40.64 percent of total organizational requests. The SOBC is consistently unable to meet student organizations' needs because SOBC funds have not kept pace with inflation, with the increasing number of student oraganizations or with increasing budget requests.

Since 1983 the number of organizations initially requesting funds from the SOBC has increased from 81 organizations to 181, while the funds SOBC has available to allocate have decreased by 27 percent.

The SOBC receives an allocation each year from the University's Student Services budget. This allocation is composed of both fixed funds and funds of a more variable nature.

The variable funds comprise the percentage increase that the SOBC annually receives to its base funds. This percentage is about equal to the percentage increase in Pennsylvania, undergraduate tuition.

Despite recent state budget cuts to the University, the SOBC still expects to receive a 4 to 6 percent increase for the 1991-1992 fiscal year, similar to that received in past years. If 1991-1992 tuition rises by more than this average, the SOBC's percentage increase should also rise by this same amount.

If there is any difference between the percentage increasing 1991-1992 tuition and the percentage increase that the SOBC receives, it will constitute and effective cut in SOBC's funds. Any further cuts will increase the funding disparity between student organizations' budget requests and the funds that the SOBC allocates.

The SOBC is a University standing committee composed entirely of student members. When allocating, we consider numerous criteria including, but not limited to, an organization's size, service record and historical expenses. We encourage students who have felt the funding crunch upon their organization to let administrators know about their specific problems.

We also request that students and reporters come to us with questions and/or concerns. We enjoy working with you, for you and providing accurate information.