Clubs sometimes pay for official expenses themselves and must wait to be reimbursed by Associated Student Activities, one student said.

Justin DePietropaolo (sophomore-marketing), tennis club secretary, wants to change the way students obtain access to their groups' funds.

ASA said the hassle could be avoided if students understood ASA policies better.

ASA policy states that all organizations that wish to purchase goods or pay registration fees may do so through processing a check request form or requesting a purchase order.

But many organizations end up paying for things out-of-pocket because they can not wait for a check request to be processed, or because the vendors they are dealing with will not accept a purchase order, DePietropaolo said.

"Paying $100 or $500 out-of-pocket is a lot, especially for a college student," he said. "It is ridiculous that anyone should have to do that, and it needs to change." Lori Fenton, ASA associate treasurer, takes a different stance.

She said that when processing a check request, the organization's treasurer must file a form in the ASA office and provide receipts or other proper documentation of the group's purchase. In about two business days, the treasurer will receive a check to either reimburse the individuals involved or to pay the vendor directly.

Purchase orders work similarly: The treasurer visits the ASA office and requests a purchase order, as long as an estimated cost is available.

Fenton said she has never heard of any problems with this policy.

DePietropaolo, however, said these methods are "ridiculous" and inefficient. He said many of the companies and stores he has dealt with do not accept purchase orders, and the check request process is not convenient because it can take up to two days.

"Many organizations are fed up with dealing with ASA and would like to deal with banks downtown instead. We should be able to directly access our funds and spend them as we need to, without the hassle of requests and waiting," he said.

Amaey Mundkur (sophomore-biology), tennis club treasurer, shared similar sentiments. ASA should act more as a bank, and organizations should have greater control over their funds, he said. "Justin and I think we should be able to write checks for ourselves rather than obtain purchase orders, as they are complicated and many businesses do not want to deal with them," he said. Fenton said that would be impractical.

"The ASA was established to protect and maintain the integrity of student organizations and their accounts. We also need to keep records of their transactions in order to ensure that they are complying with university rules and regulations," she said.

Fenton said she is willing to speak with any groups with concerns about ASA procedures. And, as always, there is an exception to every rule, she said.

"If an organization comes in and addresses a problem, I will be more than willing to help them come up with a solution. Things can usually be worked out fairly easily," she said.

The ASA treasurer's guide is available online at www.sa.psu.edu/asa/TG0102.pdf. Any organization concerned about the policies or procedures of ASA is encouraged to visit 240 HUB-Robeson Center from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and speak with a staff member.