Above photo: Ysatis Jordan, senate president pro tempore, is looking to inform students and clubs of the money waiting for them in the Special Funding Committee. Jonah Hinebaugh | The Crow’s Nest
By Luke Cross
Student Government’s special funding committee started this semester with $18,000 and is looking to put that money in the hands of students and clubs.
According to Kaeden Kelso, special funding committee chair, clubs and organizations that aren’t subject to SG’s annual budget or don’t collect membership dues can approach the committee to request funding for on-campus events or travel expenses.
The current amount of funding sits between $14,000 and $17,000, which includes current requests due to a recent surge in club activity.
Despite the recent rise in club activity, the numbers aren’t reflected in the amount of funding applications.
“We aren’t receiving as many requests from clubs and organizations as we should be, given this student involvement,” said Kelso. “So now we have a lot of this money that was allocated to the committee, and it’s just sitting there.”
A student organization looking to place a funding request should fill out the relevant forms found on their club’s OrgSync page.
“After that, they’ll come into [the special funding committee], which is [held] Tuesdays at 3:00 p.m. and give a short presentation explaining why they want funding for t-shirts, travel or events,” said Ysatis Jordan, senate president pro tempore.
Individual students can also apply for funding, although this is restricted to academic endeavors.
“An individual student, recommended by a department that wants to sponsor them, can come in and ask for the funding to go to a conference to present their research,” said Kelso.
Both individuals and organizations looking to place requests should be mindful of the time constraints required for processing.
“If you want to travel, you have to come in at least 21 business days prior because all of our funding functions have to go through Tampa, (but) for event funding it’s 15 days,” said Jordan.
While there is no cap on event funds, travel compensation for clubs and individuals must remain below set limits.
According to Jordan, the travel cap for clubs is $1,600 and includes transportation and lodging. For individual funding the committee can allocate up to $500 for international travel and $350 for domestic travel.
Regardless of where the money is spent, any remaining funds will be absorbed by a reserves budget at the end of this semester.
“Maybe clubs and organization aren’t aware of the money, or maybe they don’t know the process to get it, but a lot of this money is now just sitting here,” said Kelso. “And once the fiscal year turns over, that money gets swept into reserves and we can no longer touch it.”
In an effort to combat this loss of money, the special funding committee is reaching out to students to raise awareness.
“We’re here, we’re ready, we’re eager to give you guys the money,” said Jordan. “It’s been underutilized this term, so please — come out and advertise your club.”
For more information, contact special funding committee chair Kaeden Kelso at danielkelso@mail.usf.edu or chief financial officer Asmita Palsule apalsule@mail.usf.edu.
