USAC to use funds for grad events

Student groups are able to access money for group-specific
graduation ceremonies through student government even though there
were initial concerns regarding a loss of funds.

Offices in the Undergraduate Students Association Council will
use remaining funds to provide money for student-group graduation
ceremonies after the Contingency Programming Fund was depleted.

These ceremonies are organized by large student groups to
provide special graduation honors and recognition to group members,
including the presentation of awards and lectures from keynote
speakers.

Applications for funding are due today, according to the USAC
Web site, and funds “will be available until
depleted.”

Hazel Villasin, USAC Finance Committee chair, attributed the
premature depletion to an increase in groups applying for general
funding this year but added that it will not cause any problems for
groups seeking money for ceremonies.

USAC President Jenny Wood and External Vice President Jeannie
Biniek have agreed to transfer funds from their offices, Villasin
said.

Wood said her office has extra money because some programs were
canceled earlier in the year, and those leftover funds will
probably go toward graduation ceremonies since there are few
programs that need money at the end of the quarter.

But she did not specify how much money was available to provide
for the ceremonies.

Biniek said her office is able to transfer about $1,000 after
saving on operational expenses.

Also, Biniek said only one of her cabinet members received a
stipend this year; the chief of staff as well as program directors
usually receive stipends, but her office preferred to see the money
go toward student groups, specifically graduation ceremonies for
student groups.

“I think it’s important that we save students’
money (on these ceremonies),” Biniek said.

MEChA and the Asian Pacific Coalition are the only two groups
that have already applied and have been guaranteed funding from the
Contingency Programming Fund, Villasin said.

A few more groups are expected to apply for contingency funds
for graduation ceremonies.

Though students acquire funds from USAC to put toward these
ceremonies, students also raise funds and receive money from the
Student Campus Fund, money used to aid students in paying for
university location costs, said Debra Geller, chief administrative
officer for the Student Affairs Division of Student & Campus
Life.

Wood said USAC is still going through a transitional phase in
dealing with the increase in groups applying for funding, which
resulted in the earlier-than-usual depletion of the Contingency
Programming Fund.

Though more groups applied this year for funding, the amount of
money available has not increased, and money had to be allocated
differently in order to accommodate more groups, Wood said.

However, she said it is important for students to be able to
access as much money as possible.

“It’s good to be flexible with funding,” Wood
said.