Wednesday marked the Associated Student Government’s quarterly New Student Organization Funding Senate meeting, which saw the allocation of a total of $14,558.13 to 22 newly-formed student groups.
NSOSF meetings are always held separately from main Funding Senate meetings, meant to give newer organizations a space to appeal for funds separately from well-established clubs.
One of the highest earners of the night included Survivor Advocacy through Greek Engagement, which received $2,300 mainly for its annual SAGEFest event. Another top earner was Open Democracy Undergraduate, which left with $1,250.
Prior to the meeting, representatives of participating groups were tasked with creating allocation trackers, which outline minimum and maximum funding requests from each group, complete with details on what the funding will be used for.
In order not to overallocate funds, ASG Senators were urged to use their best judgment when voting on how much should be allocated to each club.
“We want to look at line items by necessity,” Weinberg senior and Speaker of the Senate Kaitlyn Salgado-Alvarez said. “Can the club still run without this?”
After each student group’s two-minute pitch, senators were prompted to create motions for how much they wished to allocate to each group. Following that, votes were taken for the most popular motion for each club.
Some clubs, like the Russian Club, were present because of University budget cuts, said McCormick sophomore and Russian Club co-president Zachary Raykh.
“We were funded by the Slavic Department. But with budget cuts, we have lost 90% of our budget,” Raykh said.
The Russian Club ended up taking home $300 for snacks meant for a roundtable and film screening meeting.
Other clubs also came in search of funding for social events, including the Queer Media Association and Consult Your Community. Cheaper food options, like pizza, were popular among clubs requesting event funding.
Another common theme in funding requests was financing club trips in hopes of increasing accessibility.
“The biggest part of our club is that we’re barrier-free,” Medill junior and Sport Management Club co-President Braedon Olsen said. “We don’t do cuts; no dues, no applications. So that’s why we need ASG’s help with funding some of our big-ticket events.”
The club’s previous big-ticket events included a trip to Milwaukee for a Bucks game that included a private panel with several executives in the Bucks organization, as well as a trip to visit the NFL Combine in Indianapolis.
SMC ended the night with only $350, with many senators arguing that the organization could still continue even without conducting trips.
ASG will continue its NSOSF meeting next Wednesday, where the remaining $441.87 will be allocated.
Clarification: This article has been updated to better represent the SMC’s trip to the Bucks game.
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