Funds available to Contracted Independent Organizations for 2012-13 through student activity fees have decreased by more than $100,000 from last academic year.
Funding for CIOs is generated through the annual $44 student activities fee that every University student pays to fund various student initiatives and resources. CIOs receive about half of the revenue created from SAFs.
Although SAFs generated about the same amount for CIOs as they did last academic year — almost $500,000 — this year, there was no funding carried forward from the previous year.
“Every year, around April, you can get a sense for how much money has been used,” Christina Morell, associate vice president for student affairs, said. “Then you can estimate the amount of carry-forward — unspent monies — that will be available for the subsequent year.”
Last year Council was also able to allocate CIOs about $100,000 remaining from the previous year.
This carry-forward from the 2010-11 school year increased the balance for CIO funding to around $600,000 said Michael Kozuch, assistant director for business services in Newcomb Hall.
Neil Branch, the Student Council vice president for organizations, said in an email the situation will have a pronounced effect on funding larger, long-term expenses.
“It is always important regardless of the financial numbers to be realistic with your allocations,” Branch said. “However, the current situation has me harder pressed to find where we can make cuts.”
SAF funds are only allocated to CIOs after they have been used to fund Council’s fixed commitments such as Student Legal Services, the Off Grounds Housing Office, Madison House and other services. The amount allocated to these groups has stayed roughly the same, though Student Legal Services is receiving slightly less SAF funding.
After these fixed SAF costs are taken off the top, the remainder of the funds are allocated to CIOs. CIOs can apply to the Student Council Appropriations Committee for funding on either a semi-annual or a rolling basis. CIO budgets are only reviewed by the committee if the decision of the Student Council Appropriations Committee is appealed.
If a CIO did not apply for funds before the start of the semester, it is eligible to apply for funding through one of the three rounds of rolling allocation during the semester.
“You can apply to as many as you would like as long as you are not requesting the same item,” Branch said. “These have a shorter time frame for spending but allow more flexibility.”
Of the about 700 active CIOs on Grounds, only about half applied for some sort of funding last year. Branch said he was working hard to inform groups about how to apply for SAF funding.
“The reality, though, is with more and more CIOs each year, if you are adding more groups into the SAF funding pool then you are going to have a greater strain on the system,” Branch said.
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