Organizations turn to council for funding

Tuesday, October 6, 1998

Organizations turn to council for funding

USAC: Activities, good planning by group affects amount
allocated

By Barbara Ortutay

Daily Bruin Staff

A dollar out of each student’s pocket, plus some money allocated
by the chancellor, make up the $140,000 provided by student
government for programming each year.

Each quarter, groups apply for a substantial amount of money to
finance cultural activities, educational events and other programs
through the Undergraduate Students Association Council (USAC)
Programming Fund and Associated Students of UCLA (ASUCLA) Board of
Directors Interaction Fund.

"Some people ask for exorbitant amounts of money," said USAC
budget review director Johnny Nguyen, who administers programming
funds.

He added that groups have a tendency to request large amounts of
money, hoping that they will receive more funding that way.

"As long as they meet the criteria of being cultural or
educational, programs are eligible for funding," Nguyen said.

"However, we look at the historical presence of the program; how
successful it has been in the past."

For the Gay and Lesbian Association (GALA), an umbrella
organization serving lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender
students, this proved to be a difficult hurdle recently.

Like most groups which apply, it didn’t get all the money it
asked for.

"We’re trying to revamp the organization, and we applied for
$22,000 to fund office supplies and Coming Out Week activities,"
said GALA president Tamar Tokat.

Of that request, GALA received $1,800 from the programming and
interaction funds, according to Tokat.

"They said we applied for too many social activities," Tokat
said.

While historically successful programs are often funded
substantially, programs that are new or have not been active for a
while may have a harder time receiving financial support.

"Programs that have been around for a number of years are likely
to get more money," Nguyen said.

Another factor in whether a program will get funding is simply
presentation.

"The proposal is an indicator of the program," Nguyen said.

"A well-written proposal is a good sign that the program will be
well-organized."

All organizations registered with the Center for Student
Programming – of which there are hundreds – are eligible to apply
for programming funds.

Applications for programming funds are available at the Budget
Review Committee office in 312B Kerckhoff Hall.

Application deadlines are strictly enforced each quarter, Nguyen
said. Fall 1998 proposals are due Oct. 15.

"We have a full page ad in the Daily Bruin to inform students of
the USAC programming fund," Nguyen said.

Each quarter, the Budget Review Committee holds hearings to
decide which programs will receive funds.

The committee consists of two USAC members, two students
appointed by USAC president Stacy Lee and a student representative
from the ASUCLA Board of Directors.

While the committee claims they don’t give preference to any
organizations over others, groups that are more active, and ones
that have been around longer, tend to get more money, according to
Nguyen.

About half of the money ($69,000) for programming funds comes
from student fees.

According to the application, $1 of the $7 USAC membership fee
paid by each student goes to the USAC Programming Fund.

The other half of the money (about $60,000 to $70,000) is
supposed to come from ASUCLA.

"But since ASUCLA has (had financial problems) for the past few
years, the chancellor has been subsidizing the rest of the money,"
Nguyen said.

USAC is not the only organization distributing programming
money. Student groups can also apply for funding through the Campus
Programs Committee (CPC).

"CPC gave us a lot of money," Tokat said. "We can’t complain
about that."

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© 1998 ASUCLA Communications Board