ASG Senate discussed preparations Wednesday evening for next week’s meeting that will decide possible changes to how clubs are funded.
The A-status finance committee will come before the Senate next week with recommendations for approval of student groups requesting A-Status funding. A-Status supplies funding yearly to 45 groups, who generally require large amounts of money to host speakers and events. Meanwhile, the B-Status committee distributes about $15,000 to 105 groups, whose expenses tend to be smaller. While the finance committees give suggestions to the Senate, ultimately, the Senate has the final say as to approve these allocated funds or propose amendments to the suggested funds.
A-Status funding decisions next week will allocate about $1 million to various student groups, including “multicultural groups, community service groups, and other groups of that variety,” said Mackenzie Schneider, vice president of A-Status Finances. In addition, the committee will announce B-Status guideline changes, creating new procedures for funding allocation which will “make expectations about group communication with [the B-Status Finance Committee],” said Kenny Mok, the vice president of B-Status Finances.
This week, both finance committees will hold interviews and read through applications of groups with funding requests.
“When we come to Northwestern, we pay a quarterly student activity fee that amounts to about $174 annually,” Schneider said. "This money is pooled together by the ASG finance committees and is then allocated to student organizations. "
“There are a set of guidelines [the finance committees] follow,” said Mok. “We won’t fund events that are closed to campus – so this would be events that are off-campus or exclusive. Because this is everyone’s money, everyone should be able to enjoy the events.”
Evaluation of funding requests began last Spring.