CASI expects to run out of funds

Student organizations might be seriously disappointed next time they apply for a Commitment to Assist Student Initiatives (CASI) grant to fund one of their events. As of now, CASI is over budget and in risk of running out of funds.\n"There is a large probability that CASI funds will run out by the end of the year," said IUSA Aid Director Jay Miller. "And currently we are not sure if any other money will be available after it is gone." \nCASI is part of the IU Student Association Assisted Interorganizational Department (AID) and is used to fund student initiatives and events for registered student organizations. A funding board comprised of five IUSA Congress members and four elected students from the student body grants money based on how the event affects and enriches the University, the number of students it will impact and the planning and organization of the group. \nCASI was expecting a total budget for this year to be around $145,000. However, due to lower University enrollment figures the actual budget is only around $140,000. Of this, $130,000 has been allotted to fund events and initiatives by student groups this year. \n"As of yet, we have not run out of funds to allocate. No groups have been denied funding as of yet due to a lack of funds," Miller added. "Approximately $30,000 remains to be allocated this year."\nBudget problems have been exacerbated by the fact that monetary grants per request have been slightly higher than in the past, even though CASI is on pace to fund nearly the same amount of events as last year.\nMiller also suggests that the increase in allocated funding can be in part attributed to the work done by the Student Activities Office to hold the new Student Group Orientation. This helped to increase awareness for organizations of ways to get funding through University programs, such as CASI. \n"The Student Organization Funding Department within IUSA has also done an excellent job this year meeting with many new student organizations on campus and informing them of the various funding options," said Miller. \nCurrently the IUSA Assisted Interorganizational Department is working on plans to avoid such monetary deficits in upcoming years. \n"We have asked for an increase in funds for next year to hopefully alleviate any future shortfall," Miller said. "Next year, we are hoping to receive a larger portion of the student activity fee."\nCurrently all enrolled students pay a mandatory student activity fee of $125.00. Of that, $2.05 per student each semester is allocated to the CASI fund. Miller suggests keeping the entire student activity fee the same, while increasing the proportion that CASI receives to $2.10 per student each semester.\nAs of now, CASI has approved over 70 grant applications, with an average grant of $1,500 to $2,000. Examples of events that were in part funded by CASI, include the Women's Student Association's Take Back the Night initiative and "Assassins," presented by the University Players.\n"CASI money is allocated in the most objective manner possible through the CASI funding board, and we have no regrets this year," Miller said. "All the events have created a more positive atmosphere on campus. \n-- Contact Staff Writer Trevor Brown at brownta@indiana.edu.