SA pursues alternatives after Amazon discontinues Business line of credit

SA Senate discussed solutions last Monday and temporarily amended SA’s tax exempt status on Amazon purchases

HODGE NEWS EDITOR

The Student Association held an emergency senate meeting on Jan. 30 to respond to the organization’s inability to purchase from Amazon by temporarily amending its Encumbrance and Expenditure policy.

Amazon has ended all business lines of credit for Amazon Business effective midJanuary, leaving the SA without a way to pay one its most popular vendors, according to Tendaji Ya’Ukuu, assistant director of SA communications.

SA Vice President Sammi Pang said in a Jan. 18 email that Amazon currently accepts invoices by “invite only,” but SA has not heard back on its efforts to get an invite. The average annual usage of Amazon by SA for “programming, activities, events, and items” is approximately $107,000, according to the SA Senate minutes.

Clubs are still able to complete Purchase Orders for events through the UB Student Association Financial Entry System (SAFE), which provides clubs with a directory of other approved vendor options, such as Wegmans.

SA Treasurer Alana Lesczynski said that clubs could still purchase from Amazon if they decided not to use one of the approved vendors, but they would have to use personal Amazon accounts and get reimbursed by the SA.

Pang said clubs would have to file reimbursement requests “approved prior to making a purchase” and that “orders must be delivered to 360 Student Union for review and confirmation of a good receipt.”

The Encumbrance and Expenditure Policy, which states that “SA will not pay any NYS sales tax, and in the case of a reimbursement, any NYS sales tax paid will not be reimbursed, excluding those not covered by our NYS Tax Exempt status,” was temporarily amended by a majority vote from Jan. 30 through May 21, 2023.

The temporarily amended policy allows the SA Treasurer to reimburse sales tax on purchases made through Amazon since personal accounts are required to pay sales tax on items purchased from Amazon.

SA President Becky Paul-Odionhin said that although the reimbursement option is available, clubs “should try every other possible avenue” that SA already has, adding that Amazon orders should be “the last resort.”

“SA understands that the solution approved on Jan. 30 is, unfortunately, not perfect,” Ya’Ukuu said. “It is meant to be a temporary solution to the problem…We are working to rectify the situation as soon as possible so SA and clubs can continue to purchase goods as usual.”

MORGAN S.T. ROSS ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

UB formally requested student input on a proposed five-year Broad-based Fee increase plan in a statement released Monday.

The university says the 3.54% increase — set to begin in the 2023-24 school year — is meant to ensure UB adheres to statemandated increases in university finances and services.

The Broad-based Fee includes what students see listed as “comprehensive fees” on their financial statements, which includes the Academic Excellence and Success Fee, Athletics Fee, Campus Life Fee, Career Services Fee, College Fee, Health Fee, Recreation Fee, Technology Fee, Transcript Fee and Transportation Fee.

The proposed increase will allow UB to increase minimum wage for students, up- grade classrooms, support the academic and research needs of students, develop new programs to promote diversity and inclusion, and provide access to career services, UB said in its statement.

Students are encouraged to provide suggestions for the changes and improvement of services through special advisory groups and a survey found in MyUB.

“UB strives to remain as one of the nation’s best values in higher education and will continue to be a major public university and the premier public institution in the Northeast with continued student support,” a statement from the Office of the Vice President for Student Life said.

Students may comment on the proposed increase through an online form on UB’s website, which will be open from Monday, Feb. 6 to Friday, Feb. 17.

Email: morgan.ross@ubspectrum.com