Senior Corey Jacobson, a Hatchet columnist, explores why the Alternative Breaks program at GW can’t receive financial help from the Student Association, and notes that this is something that needs to change.

There’s a scene in “Bad Boys II” when a drug lord discovers that the rat infestation in his attic is literally eating away the piles of cash he has stashed there. Waving his gun around and trying to shoot at the rats, he remarks, “This is a stupid fucking problem to have. But it is a problem nonetheless.”

I found myself echoing that same sentiment recently. After allocating a record $500,000 to student organizations this fall, the Student Association announced two weeks ago that it was allocating an additional $40,000 for the College Democrats and Republicans to hold a joint event with big-name, high-priced speakers. At the same time, the University was urging students to vote by text message for GW’s Alternative Breaks program in order to win a $50,000 prize from the Pepsi Refresh Project. The campaign remains ongoing, but at the time of publishing, Alternative Breaks was ranked 80th – a full 70 spots away from winning the funds.