Student group funding committees face opposite problems
By Nicholas Yu
July 27, 2015 7:34 a.m.
The two undergraduate representatives who were appointed onto student group funding committees cited contrasting problems in their respective committees – that one committee’s funds are underutilized and the other’s overutilized.
Robert Bang, a rising fourth-year biology student, was elected by the Undergraduate Students Association Council on July 20 as a member of the Community Activities Committee, which student groups often apply to fund their community service projects.
Malavika Raju, a rising third-year biochemistry student, was elected by USAC as a member of the Campus Programs Committee, which specifically funds community service projects that have cultural or educational purposes.
Bang has volunteered as a tutor for several community service clubs and is a member of a committee in the USAC Community Service Commission in charge of planning events and delegating tasks to volunteers.
Last year, Raju was the director of fundraising and development for the USAC Office of the President and a staff member of the Office of the External Vice President.
The Community Activities Committee has seen an increase in applications every year because it is one of the main funds new student groups apply to, Bang said.
Each year, the Community Activities Committee finds it harder to allocate a reasonable amount to each student group, Bang added.
In the previous election, a referendum failed to pass which would have added an additional $1.13 to the $3.87 each student pays every quarter to the Community Activities Committee.
Bang said he hopes the Community Activities Committee will urge groups to support a future referendum proposing an increase in the amount the committee receives.
In contrast, Campus Programs Committee funds are less frequently used by student groups and could accommodate for an increase in applications, Raju said.
“Student groups often use (the Student Organizations Operational Fund), (Community Activities Committee) or UCLA Residential Life funds because those are the most popular ones that often advertise,” Raju said.
Raju added that she would like to educate student groups to apply for Campus Programs Committee funds through handing out fliers and making posts on social media.
Despite the contrast in usage of the two committees’ funds, both committees receive similar amounts in student fees and have an identical structure.
Both committees are composed of four graduate students appointed by the Graduate Students Association, four undergraduate students appointed by USAC and one administrator appointed by the vice chancellor of student affairs.
The two committees review applications and interview students to judge the significance of the programs students want to fund. If the project is deemed significant, the committee makes an allocation based on an estimated budget for the program. A student group can receive a combined maximum of $15,500 from both committees in a year.
Each committee spends roughly 20 hours each month reviewing applications, and each student on the committee receives a quarterly stipend of $667.
USAC will continue appointing students to the two committees over the summer.
