Some student groups that do not receive funding from Associated Student Government could get a bit of financial help from Northwestern next year.
By Fall Quarter, NU’s Office of Student Affairs will begin giving new T- and B-status student groups one-time grants, said Bryan Tolles, ASG executive vice president.
T- and B-status groups are recognized by ASG, but unlike A-status groups, they do not receive ASG funding and usually rely on fund raising and department grants.
Administrators will meet today with Tolles to announce the exact amount of money Student Affairs will budget for the initiative, and Tolles will inform senators at ASG’s Wednesday meeting. At most, Student Affairs will allot $7,000, Tolles said.
Because the seed money will come from Student Affairs and not ASG, A-status group funding will not be affected, Tolles said.
Newer student groups will benefit from the additional funds, which could be available as soon as Spring Quarter, said Tolles, who has been working on this initiative since last spring.
“Often these student groups have low funds with big ambitions,” said Tolles, a Weinberg junior. “This is a way of helping student groups grow and put better programming on campus.”
Tolles said no current student group will receive funding under this initiative, but new T-status groups, as well as those that move to B-status, could receive as much as $500 from Student Affairs.
In addition to announcing the funding total Student Affairs will allot, administrators also are expected to decide today whether T- and B-status groups will be able to petition the university for capital improvements funding, which includes money for items such as computers and office equipment.
Vice President for Student Affairs William Banis declined to comment about the new funding options.
Alexis Wiley, president of NU’s chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists, T-status group, said her group would use the additional money to bring more speakers to campus.
“I think it would be a really great thing for T- and B-status groups because a lot of times you don’t have the funding to prove your group’s value,” said Wiley, a Medill junior. “By gaining funding, I think we can be a lot more effective on campus.”
Alyssa Bryson, president of NU’s Campus Kitchens, also a T-status group, said her group does fine without extra funds from NU, but any additional money would be welcomed.
“For us it would definitely be used more for special events,” said Bryson, a Weinberg sophomore. “We function without it, so it would probably just allow us to do more of the things we’re doing.”
Bryson also said the money could be used to reimburse volunteers, who often pay for supplies and cover the cost of gas money when they deliver meals of reheated, unused dining hall food to those in need in Evanston.
