In response to vague appropriations procedures, Student Council held an open meeting Wednesday for Contracted Independent Organization members to discuss new appropriations guidelines to be voted on at the Council meeting.
Council President Noah Sullivan and Council Vice President for Organizations Rebecca Keyworth presented the new appropriations procedures to the CIO members in attendance.
Keyworth said the goal of the new system is to best meet the needs of the student body.
"Last semester, we began reworking allocations," Keyworth said. "Last night was about the details of how to implement the new appropriations system and the new criteria."
Keyworth and Sullivan discussed two tabled bills that Council members will vote on next Tuesday.
"One of the bills on the table this week lays out criteria for three different categories: operational, travel, and activity," Keyworth said. "The second bill is to approve percentages of money allocated to each category."
Keyworth said the meeting attendees responded positively to Council's proposals.
"The groups that wanted to talk about it showed up," Keyworth said. "It seemed like a generally positive response."
According to Keyworth, CIO members also offered input of their own.
"They had a few suggestions of things to add," she said. "Some suggested asking groups to prioritize requests."
To receive appropriations, Keyworth said CIOs also will have to submit mission statements.
Sullivan said reworking the system is complicated because Council appropriates funds to over 600 organizations.
"We are radically changing the process," Sullivan said. "It is so complicated, and we need to focus and figure out what our goals are."
The new appropriations procedures will not be as vague as those of the old system, Sullivan said.
"We're not going to be giving money out like a bank," he said. "There will be collaboration of groups who do similar things. The new system will have breadth and depth in areas where there is need."
Council members are doing their best to employ the reforms smoothly, Sullivan said.
"We are working to ease the transition in the next couple of weeks," he said.
The meeting was another step toward complete reformation of the appropriations process, Keyworth said.
"We have to get the ball rolling," she said.
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