It's your $85: Where does it go?

The money is funneled to ASUP, which distributes it to clubs and organizations on campus. To give you a better idea of exactly where that money ends up, The Beacon dove into ASUP’s budget and broke it down.

This fall, student clubs and organizations received more than $95,000. More than half of that went to the Upper Budget, which includes ASUP, CPB and the Major Project Fund. A majority of the funds given to ASUP go to executive board stipends, administrative needs, Espresso UP and ADvantage.

The administrative funds provide students with amenities like the New York Times and Comcast Cable for the TVs in Howard Hall, and ADvantage handles campus advertisements, which bring in revenue to balance out the budget. CPB spends their allocated money on events like the Fall Dance, campus films, the Dance of the Decades and the Winter DeStresstival.

Top 10 MPF options

On Monday, ASUP announced its top 10 options for the use of the fall Major Project Fund (MPF). The MPF is a fund ASUP uses to make either improvements around campus, or to hold events. The fund is 10 percent of ASUP’s budget ($23,200) plus any leftover funds that weren’t spent last year. This semester’s MPF totals up to $64,437.

This week, ASUP’s executive board is asking for student feedback on the ideas and researching the viability of each option. They will report back to Senate next Monday, where senators will narrow down the list, eliminating up to five options. The executive board will then make the final decision and present their choice on Nov. 3.

1. Additional lighting for south side of Prusynski Pitch
2. More water bottle refilling stations
3. Financial installment toward phase two of Recreation Center project for a pool
4. Ice machines
5. Electrical outlets for lecture classroom tables in Franz and Shiley Halls
6. Athletic field on River Campus prioritized for recreational use
7. Terrace room patio renovation project
8. Pilot House renovation project, including a possible game room
9. Quasi-endowment for sexual assault prevention programming
10. Quasi-endowment for undergraduate research

 

How Clubs Apply For Money

To distribute funds, ASUP considers club budgeting proposals a semester in advance. Clubs fill out a budget allocation form each semester and must submit it by a set deadline. They then go through an interview process in which clubs defend their budget requests to a financial management board.

This board consists of the ASUP Treasurer Jessie Robinson and a team of six other students studying accounting and business. The financial management board debates on how to allocate the funds, and disperses them to the clubs, organizations and grants.

How to get more involved

To get more involved in the process of budgeting, students are invited to apply to the financial management board online. Students are also encouraged to come to any Senate meeting at 4:30 p.m. every Monday in Shiley 319. Students involved in clubs can come to Senate meetings and ask for more club money. Club presidents and treasurers are also largely involved in this process.

How Clubs Apply For Money

1. Club treasurers need to get the Club and Organization Allocation Request Forms
2. Clubs then turn in the forms by a certain date
3. Once completed and turned in, an interview is scheduled
4. The financial management board holds interviews
5. They deliberate and create the budget for the next semester
6. Then, the proposed budget is presented to Senate
7. A week later, Senate will debate the budget and it is recommended that club treasurers attend this meeting in order to defend their allocated funds
8. The following week, Senate will finish their debates and finalize the budget

Strategies for clubs to get more money

1. Don’t ask for a lot more money for the spring semester than in the fall. Spread out the money request to make each semester a similar amount. (A lot of clubs make this mistake).
2. Be on time, go to the Senate meetings, and meet with the financial management board.
3. Stand out. Give an interesting presentation that shows why you should get more funds and be excited about what your club is doing.
4. Elect club leaders for the next year by budgeting season which is around March so that they can learn the budget process and know what they want for the next year.
5. Be realistic with what you want and what you are asking for.
6. Don’t be afraid to defend your money that you need
7. Budget for things that can be done for the whole student body. The more people it affects, the more likely the board will spend.