Student organizations are far and away one of the most important facets of campus life. These groups provide outlets for student expression and routes by which to engage with and serve the campus community. They allow us to grow as individuals and develop our personal interests. They encourage us to interact with our peers on a level beyond that achieved in dorms or at parties, creating relationships based around shared interests and promoting the kind of informed discourse that our years in college are meant to facilitate.
Naturally, then, one of the primary objectives of our student government should be to provide these organizations with all the resources necessary for them to thrive successfully within our campus community. Last night, the A.S. Council did just this, approving a revision to its standing rules that dramatically increases the funds available to these organizations while streamlining the process through which these funds are granted.
Penned by Vice President of Finance and Resources Naasir Lakhani, the new legislation allows registered student organizations to request up to $400 in initial operating funds, a dramatic improvement over the previous $20 limit. At the same time, the changes allow for uncapped programming funding requests which can be pursued at any point throughout the year with no worry of impending deadlines.
This improvement will be particularly beneficial to new organizations that may previously have had trouble getting off the ground. In the past it was often necessary for those involved in these organizations to dig into their own pockets in an effort to fund their activities, so slow and inefficient was the council’s process for granting funding to these groups. Under the new process, however, organizations will be able to request and receive all necessary funds in a timely manner, thus guaranteeing that these groups are able to succeed while encouraging the emergence of new organizations.’
On a more tangible level, greater support for our student organizations translates directly into a more improved campus atmosphere. By ensuring that these organizations are attended to in an efficient manner with the resources they need to thrive, the council also ensures that our campus remains alive with activity as these groups stage their various events, participate in campus politics and provide students with an outlet for pursuing a diverse range of interests.
Of course, this new legislation is not without its downsides. For all the good that comes with increased funding for student organizations, there also comes the inherent possibility of the council stretching its funds too thin. Though this outcome is unlikely to appear anytime soon given the now inflated status of the council’s bank account (aren’t referenda great?), it is still a possibility of which councilmembers should remain aware.
Until then, however, more power to the orgs.