The Students’ Association took a monumental step in representing the entire student body by increasing the SA Supplemental Fund by $10,000 and allowing all SA-recognized groups to apply for funding.
Under this proposal, all groups registered though the Campus Club Connection, including Greek organizations, academic honor societies and performance groups, can apply to receive funding for programs that can better the community as a whole.
These changes will benefit the entire campus because the Students’ Association Appropriations Committee will only fund groups that prove that their event is beneficial to the entire student body. This regulation will give groups more incentive to host inclusive programs more frequently.
Before, if there was a program that a group wanted to sponsor, the money would come out of their own budget, forcing some groups to decide not to do this simply based on a lack of funding.
All students pay the SA activities fee, but until recently, only SA-funded groups had access to the money. This penalized those students who chose to belong to non SA-funded groups. By allowing more groups to interact with the SA, student government will better understand the concerns of all students. In addition, the fund encourages the co-sponsorship of activities, leading to a more inclusive environment.
Opening SA funds to additional groups introduces a measure of healthy competition. Existing groups can continue to receive the benefit of applying for supplemental funding if required for novel projects.
SAAC should be less hesitant to award a group funding if they pass the necessary evaluation.
However, the funds should be organization-blind so that each group has an equal chance to receive a share. SAAC ought to consider each supplemental funding proposal on the merits of the program, not on the group’s SA-funded status.
The intention of the SA is to represent all students on this campus, and this change is a large step toward reaching this goal.
