Board replaces referenda for student groups
Funding for student groups at CU is now being determined by a process designed to ensure more responsible spending of student fees.
Gone are the days of the referenda system, where student groups would seek approval on the spring election ballots. In its place, the Student Groups Funding Board allocates money based on a predetermined budget set by UCSU. Provisions in the SGFB code also set guidelines for how much money each group is to receive.
Ashley Nakagawa, SGFB chair and senior architecture major, said the board works to make student groups prove they can spend money effectively before receiving any funding.
“Referenda was getting to the point where students were overwhelmingly voting yes on everything,” she said. “We sort of just want to make sure student fees are being spent responsibly.”
Binding referenda were eliminated following the 2005-2006 school year. UCSU Tri-executive Hadley Brown said that with the SGFB system, student groups now have to provide more information about their mission and how their funding will help them accomplish their goals.
“Student groups have to be more prepared and more organized and have more of a plan for their year so that they really touch the student body in a way that is important,” she said.
In order to be considered for SGFB funding, a student group must first meet the minimum eligibility requirements. This includes having an account set up with the Student Organizations Finance Office, and allowing for open access to all interested students on campus.
Nakagawa said that funds are allocated to different line items, such as travel or operational expenses, in a group’s SOFO account. This way, the university can tell if groups are consistent in how they spend student fees.
“We just generally want to make sure they’re doing what they said they were going to be doing,” she said.
Once SGFB considers a group eligible, members of the group can fill out an application that asks for specific information about the group’s mission, goals and contribution to the student community. The application also addresses what the needs of the group are and what the SGFB should take into consideration when allocating the budget.
Groups then sign up to meet with SGFB to discuss the items on their application. The board consists of Nakagawa as the chair, a UCSU Tri-executive, a SOFO employee, a member of the Council of Colleges and Schools, a member of the Representative Council, Legislative Council President Boyce Postma and three student-at-large representatives.
Based on how the board feels, the group is able to use student fees to benefit the university.
“Groups have so many different goals. They benefit the campus in many different ways,” Nakagawa said.
Brown said the overall budget for SGFB is part the overall budget for UCSU Proper as a cost center, which Finance Board and Legislative Council approve each fiscal year. The budget for SGFB does run one year ahead, so the board knows what resources it has before it makes any allocations.
One difference between student groups is whether or not they are affiliated with the university. Groups seeking affiliation must have the sponsorship of a department chair and advisor on campus. They sign off on the group’s application, stating the group’s mission meets the mission of a certain department.
Terri Smith, the office manager of SOFO, said that affiliated student groups have the benefit of the university’s tax exempt status, legal services and purchasing methods. They are recognized by the university, but also carry the responsibilities that go along with it.
“An affiliated student group must spend their funds according to university policies and state guidelines,” she said. “Independent student groups don’t have to follow those policies unless they receive funds from student fees for events or travel.”
Dan Omasta, the CU chapter chair of CoPIRG and a sophomore political science major, said that he believes keeping student fees low is an important issue, and SGFB is capable of doing a great job, but it must receive more resources to ensure a diverse campus.
“Lack of funding severely undermines student government’s ability to effectively promote and develop an open marketplace of ideas and opportunities,” he said.
Omasta said that student fees going toward student group funding was only $1.56 per student. He suggested raising this amount to $3 per student, thus doubling the allocation budget for SGFB.
Omasta would also like to see the return of the referenda system, working in partnership with SGFB. He said he thinks it would be useful for larger student groups to still be able to go on referenda, while SGFB continued to meet with smaller groups.
“They need to work in unison,” he said. “One shouldn’t exist without the other.”
Nakagawa said a problem with using the referenda system was that many students felt they couldn’t be approved if they held a minority viewpoint. SGFB could allow them to do so.
“We have a viewpoint neutral clause in (our code),” Nakagawa said. “We won’t vote down a group for funding because of what they choose to do, as long as they satisfy what is in the code.”
Omasta said that SGFB does a good job of resolving funding issues for smaller groups, but creates a separate issue by taking student group funding away from the students and giving it to UCSU.
“The whole process now has lost transparency and the student voice has lost its ability to determine student group funding on campus,” he said.
SGFB hearings are open to the public, with dates announced through Buff bulletin e-mails.
Nakagawa said she would be open to making whatever changes need to be made to help student groups.
“(SGFB) can’t be perfect, but it’s a challenge that we as a board and I as chair are willing to work on,” she said.
Contact Campus Press Staff Writer George Plaven at George.Plaven@colorado.edu.
