Student Government announced the start of its fall semester appropriation process yesterday with the opening of an online submission system.
Existing student groups are eligible to receive up to $4,500 from the Senate Appropriations Committee to help cover the costs of travel, on-campus events and outside consultants.
Committee Chair Greg Doucette, a junior in computer science, political science and economics, said his first priority is to provide start-up funds for newly formed student groups.
“If you’re starting a new organization, you can get a one-time allocation of up to $300,” Doucette said.
The appropriations committee will accept applications until the deadline on Tuesday, Sept. 26, and Student Body Treasurer Adam Compton said he is willing to answer any problems that applicants may encounter.
“I’ll meet with any student organization to help whoever is filling out the forms,” Compton, a junior in construction engineering and management, said.
The committee considers several items as prohibited for funding. Salaries for advisers or student leaders, alcoholic beverages and events that are socially oriented all fall into this category.
Also, organizations reapplying for aid must present receipts reflecting the amount of their past awarded disbursements.
“If a returning group hasn’t turned in their receipts, then they will be banned for two years,” Doucette said.
Each application must be accompanied by the support of a sponsoring student senator. These senators act as a liaison between the group and the committee and make recommendations on the group’s behalf.
“Your chances of getting funded greatly improve if you utilize the resources available and your application is complete when it goes before the committee,” Compton said.
Following an interview process, which will take place from Oct. 3 – 10, the committee will submit the applications and their recommendations to the Student Senate.
“The Senate must approve the bill submitted by the appropriations committee and then the student body president must sign it,” said Compton.
After an appeals process where the committee holds any additional hearings, Compton will submit a request to the University accounting department for the desired funds.
According to Jay Vigen, a sophomore in aerospace engineering who applied for funds last year on behalf of his newly formed Dodgeball club, this part of the process was completely unsatisfactory.
“They allotted us $300 for start-up charges and we didn’t get it for eight months,” said Vigen. “The bureaucracy was mind-numbing.”
Compton said this year he hopes to speed up the activity significantly and eliminate lost time in getting the bill formalized last semester.
“We are always looking for feedback,” Compton said. “Anything students can suggest to improve the process is greatly appreciated.”
Doucette said he encourages all student organizations to apply and that he hopes many new groups will discover this valuable resource.
“A lot of the time we get the same folks year after year and we don’t reach any of the new groups,” Doucette said. “They just need to go to the Web site and all the information they need is there.”