Funding Board makes IUSA aid exception

Breaking with its usual policy of not funding student organizations that receive mandatory student fee money, the IU Student Association Student Organization Funding Board granted IUSA $10,000 for the Shine 4 Lauren concert in September.

The IUSA Funding Board exists to provide monetary support to registered student organizations.

It is the policy of Funding Board to “provide funding to eligible student organizations not provided institutional support through fee collection policies made available by the University,” according to organization guidelines.

IUSA, however, receives a portion of the mandatory activity fee charged to students. The IUSA general fund receives $1.29 per student per semester.

When planning the Shine 4 Lauren concert, IUSA collaborated with many student groups, including Union Board, the IU Student Foundation, the Interfraternity Council, the Panhellenic Association, IU Dance Marathon and IU Student Television.

After the organizations contributed as much as they could from their individual budgets, there was a lack of funds, said Kevin Courtney, IUSA vice president of
administration.

Group members first considered cost-cutting measures but determined that to maintain the vision of the event, costs were fairly inflexible.

“Our next alternative to still keep it a student-led event was to include Funding Board,” Courtney said.

Funding Board worked with the IU Student Life and Learning office and staff to suspend the rule about mandatory fee-funded organizations, Courtney said.

“We made a loophole so we could fund the event since so many groups were affected,” Funding Board Co-Director Kristen Walker said. “The event had a significant effect within the student body, and a lot of people were interested in the case.”

Walker and Co-Director Danny Schuster sought approval and advice from Student Organizations and Leadership Adviser Tracy Teel, who advises Funding Board, and Assistant Dean of Students and Director of Student Activities Steve Veldkamp before granting the exception.

Aside from bypassing the funding rule, IUSA was treated like all other student groups — it had to prepare all the necessary application materials, present before Funding Board and have its proposal evaluated on a number of criteria.

IUSA requested $33,550 for the event, although Funding Board can award student organizations a maximum of $10,000 per semester. IUSA received the full $10,000.

“(That) was more than any one of our organizations could contribute,” Courtney said. “This was just another opportunity to make sure every student on campus had a little part in putting on the Shine 4 Lauren concert.”

Of Funding Board’s approximated $380,000 yearly budget — which includes $2.21 per semester of each student’s mandatory activity fee — Funding Board has already given out $131,102 as of Monday.

While five student organizations have received Funding Board’s $10,000 per semester maximum, including Raas Royalty dance competition and student theatre organization the University Players, the average amount this year is about $2,200, Schuster said.
IUSA has spent $8,207.31 of the Funding Board contribution and has some remaining invoices to pay, IUSA Treasurer Kyle Straub said.

Any remaining funds after those bills are paid will be sent back to Funding Board.
Walker and Schuster described Funding Board as “semi-independent” from IUSA, as the two student organizations maintain separate operating budgets and personnel.

However, as the names would suggest, they are unavoidably linked. They share an office — the Funding Board office is a small cubicle near the door of the larger IUSA office in the Indiana Memorial Union’s Student Activities Tower.

They share overhead — IUSA pays the rent for itself and Funding Board and shares office supplies. They share leadership — the IUSA president approves non-voting Funding Board co-directors recommended by Funding Board members, and appoints  four of the 11 voting board members.

Schuster said overhead is easier when working with IUSA, and although the two are connected, they maintained impartiality in the recent IUSA funding.

“We’ve always had a very good relationship with IUSA. We trust them, and they trust us,” Schuster said. “At the end of the day, we function separately, but we share overhead.”

Courtney, while acknowledging the organizations’ connection, reinforced legitimacy of the request for funds.

“It would be extremely difficult to think there were any false motives between IUSA and the IUSA Funding Board,” Courtney said. “I don’t think anybody would have that thought if they were able to sit in the meetings with the Spierer family like we did. It comes down to all these student groups being as compassionate as possible.”

And Funding Board, he noted, had every right to deny IUSA money.

“The students that were elected to Funding Board were elected to make those choices,” he said. “They could have easily given us less money or no money at all. They had to balance this event taking place with helping future organizations. These students were confident that they felt that allocating us money was well worth it.”

As for student groups who don’t receive University-mandated funding, there is still much of the year’s funding left, Walker said.

“It’s kind of first come, first served,” she said of applying for funding. “We do the best we can. There are very few groups we turn down.”