Beginning in the winter 2018 semester, Undergraduate Student Government (USGA) will be operating under new budget guidelines to fund registered student organizations (RSO).
Alex Lopez, president of USGA and senior marketing management major, and Nikhil Nagabandi, IOC legislative senator and sophomore chemistry and math double major, explained why these changes were made and what exactly they are.
Lopez said a big reason for the change was to make sure that SGA evolves with the needs of the university.
“We realize that the university is changing,” said Lopez. “We don’t want to be stuck in a position where the university is here and student government is five steps behind.”
Lopez and Nagabandi said that USGA’s goal was to make it easier for organizations to get funding and to give them more control over how they use their funds.
“We’ve seen some amazing events with the assistance of funding from SGA,” said Nagabandi. “So, by making the whole process easier I think clubs can more easily obtain funding for SGA [to create more events].”
He also said that these budget guidelines will help USGA focus on other issues that are important to the student body.
“By changing these guidelines,” said Lopez, “it’ll also give SGA more time to focus on issues on the campus whether it’s something social or institutional based. SGA can now focus on other things because organizations will be able to get [funding] more simply than in the past.”
What’s changing:
Waiving of categories
Where previous funding was categorized into “Lump Sum,” “Traditional” or “High Events,” funding will now be granted as “one chunk,” according to Lopez. The amount the RSO will be eligible to request will be based on their Fin Points. This grants organizations more freedom in creating their events. Lopez said it’s important to note that just because an organization is eligible for a request doesn’t mean they will receive it and the events must still impact NSU in some way.
Basic Funding
Any RSO in good standing with the university and meeting USGA requirements will automatically get $300 transferred into the account without having to come and propose a bill to USGA as long as they meet USGA requirements for funding. If an organization will require more funding, they will have to present a complete budget request to SGA.
T-Shirt funding
USGA made an adjustment to the T-Shirt funding by making the funds based on the members of the student organization rather than a lump sum. If an RSO receives funding for T-shirts, they will receive $5 per person for up to 60 people for those shirts.
Inventory for the first time
USGA is now offering funding for inventory, such as flags or table cloths to represent the RSO, for the first time. RSOs can request inventory once per academic year for up to $200. However, once the RSO receives an item they won’t be able to request that item again for three years. For example, if an RSO gets a tablecloth through the funding, USGA will not fund another tablecloth for another three years.
Fin Points
Fin Points will now only apply per semester instead of yearly. Fin Points are allocations that are awarded to RSOs if they create events that “promote student organization growth, creating name recognition on campus and giving back to the community.” When RSOs gather Fin Points they develop a status, either Blue, Silver or Gold, that impacts the amount of funding they can receive and other privileges they may have. More about Fin Points can be found at nova.edu/campuslife/organizations/finpoints.html.
Get off the ground fund
This new funding is only offered to new RSOs during their first semester to help them expand, once the members meet the requirements to become the RSO.
“If you start within the first four weeks of a semester you’re automatically going to get $100 for recruitment purposes [that same semester],” said Lopez. “If the RSO gets chartered at the end of the semester we’ll give them the funding for the following.”
Giveaways
RSOs will be able to request between $50 and $100 for one-time giveaways at Sharkapalooza. The amount will be based on Fin Points. Blue and Silver Fins will be eligible to receive $50 and Gold Fins will be eligible for $100. These items will also have to have USGA’s logo on it alongside your organization.
What’s staying the same:
To be eligible for basic funding, student organizations will still have to meet the same basic requirements. First they have to be a registered organization in good standing with the Office of Campus Life and Student Engagement. Second they have to have completed at least 30 service hours per semester. So, if an organization gets 30 hours in fall of 2017, they will meet this requirement for funding for winter of 2018. Service hours do not roll over each semester. Finally, in order to be eligible for certain funding opportunities, organizations will still need to have Fin Points. The Fin Point rating and the correlated eligibility is recapped below:
| Fin Point Standings and Eligibility for Funding | ||
| Blue Fin (30-59 points) | Silver Fin (60-119) | Gold Fin (120+) |
| RSO is eligible for basic funding ($300) RSO is able to request up to $700 in addition to basic funding |
RSO is eligible for basic funding ($300) RSO is able to request up to $700 in addition to basic funding RSO is able to request conference and T-shirt funding |
RSO is eligible for basic funding ($300) RSO can request up to $3,200 in addition to basic funding RSO is able to request conference and T-shirt funding |
