SPRING ALLOCATION PROCESS

STUDENT ACTIVITY FEE OVERVIEW Each fulltime student pays a Student Activity Fee. A portion of that fee goes to SGA’s finance account and is allocated to all eligible organizations throughout the academic year. Each year, SGA has approximately $180,000 to put towards events, activities, and programs for the students.

WHAT IS THE SPRING ALLOCATION PROCESS? A time for organizations to submit requests for the academic year. Any requests approved are guaranteed funding the following year. Last year, there were about 80 different requests submitted by organizations for Spring Allocations.

SPECIAL REQUESTS VS. SPRING ALLOCATIONS Special Requests Created during the current school year. Are intended for events that “arise” as throughout the year or events that were previously approved and may require additional funding. Fiscal funds may not be available depending on the time of the year and amount of requests. Spring Allocation Requests Created in advance for the following school year. Multiple requests can be submitted on one EXCEL document. Encourages organizations to think ahead and have enough time to efficiently plan events. Secures the funds needed to create events.

BENEFITS OF MAKING REQUESTS DURING SPRING ALLOCATIONS The money for any approved events is guaranteed. This allows event planning to start sooner and be less rushed. Creates the opportunity for larger and better events on campus. Allows your organization to create a timeline of events before the semester even starts. Helps promote a more vibrant campus life for students.

HOW DO I START? Organize a time to sit down with your current and incoming members, Executive Board, and Advisor. Decide on the events you wish to plan for the following school year and when they will take place. Research the expected prices for each aspect of each event and explain why this event would benefit the student body and campus life. To find the EXCEL document:  Log in to MyMount  “Mount Community” tab  “Clubs and Organizations” on the left  “Finance Committee Request Forms” in the middle of the page

WHAT SHOULD I INCLUDE IN THE REQUESTS? Informational Page Name of organization Current and Incoming Presidents and Treasurers, along with address Advisor, along with address Event Tabs EACH Event Tab should include: Name Location Date Benefits to the Mount community and student life DETAILED and SPECIFIC breakdown of budget

WHAT WILL HELP ME CREATE REQUESTS? Finance Committee Bylaws:  Log in to MyMount  “Mount Community” tab  “Student Government Association” link in the middle of the page near the bottom  “Finance Committee Bylaws” attachment on the right Financial and attendance information from this year’s events.

SPRING ALLOCATIONS PROCESS 1)All requests are reviewed by the Finance Committee.  If request is < $ and approved, it passes.  If request is denied, process is over and event is not funded. 2)Requests that are > $ and approved by the Finance Committee move on to the SGA Senate. 3)Requests that are > $ need the approval of both the Finance Committee AND SGA Senate.  If the SGA Senate denies a request that the Finance Committee approved, the event still does not pass. 4)Approved funds will be deposited in organization’s 2391 (SGA) account.

WHAT DOES SGA LOOK FOR? Finance Committee Was the form filled out correctly? Are the organization’s funds frozen for any reason? What is cost of the event in comparison to the projected attendance? Are requested funds used wisely? Does the request abide by the Finance Committee Bylaws? Has this organization followed through with previous events? If this event occurred in the past, how successful was it? Are any other events planned for the same date? Does the request contain enough details and specifics to understand? SGA Senate Is this event something that will benefit the students and campus life? Is this an event our students would enjoy? Is this event accessible to all student populations – commuters, residents, and adult students?

COST PER STUDENT When planning events, an important aspect to remember is the cost of the event per student. Total Cost of Event / Total Number of MSJU Students in Attendance = Cost Per Person For Example: Total Cost of Event: $10, MSJU Students in Attendance: 200 $10, / 200 = $ per person This event would be deemed fiscally irresponsible and wouldn’t be approved.

COMMON MISTAKES Not providing enough DETAILS or SPECIFICS to adequately understand the request. Not creating an event for the students – we can only fund student events. If an organization wishes to do a fundraiser, we can loan money for them to have the means to put it on, but those funds need to be repaid to the Finance Committee. Not abiding b y the Finance Committee Bylaws.

FINANCE COMMITTEE BYLAW POLICIES Maximum of:  $ for a DJ  $25.00 for Campus Fair  $ for hotel accommodations for guest speakers/performers  $25.00 for advertising  $0.50 per mile for transportation/gas Conferences:  No more than 2 conferences/trips per academic year  4 students and 1 advisor  Hotels: $ per room per night. Maximum of 3 hotel rooms per night.  Meals: $30.00 per person a day Funding limit of $15, for a single event.

HOW WILL I KNOW IF MY REQUESTS ARE APPROVED? After all requests have been reviewed by the Finance Committee and SGA Senate, each organization will be ed regarding the results of their Spring Allocation Request. This will contain:  A Club Budget EXCEL spreadsheet that contains each requested event and can be used the following year to record and monitor spending for each event.  Reasons why an event may not have been approved.  Any stipulations regarding approved events – these must be met in order to receive funding.

WHAT IF MY REQUEST WASN’T APPROVED? Many times we do not have enough funds to approve every event submitted in the Spring Allocation Process. However, the Finance Committee reserve about $10,000 each year to set aside for Special Requests that may arise during the following academic year. An event that was not approved during the Spring Allocation Process is still encouraged to be resubmitted as a Special Request during the year and still has the possibility of being approved at a later date.

DATES TO REMEMBER: Monday, March 23 rd at midnight – All Spring Allocations Requests DUE! all requests to or April through May – Finance Committee and SGA Senate will review all requests. Friday, May 1 st – All organizations will be notified regarding their Spring Allocation Request.

FURTHER QUESTIONS? Contact one of your Finance Committee Representatives! Leanne Reichert Garrett Bascom Marvin Edwards Victoria Hancock Becca Heizer Matt Johnson Brandon Michael Jacob Richardson