The Student Union Senate passed a by-law last week creating the Financial Support Committee. Comprised of four senators and one Finance Board member, the committee is charged with allocating $5,000 worth of discretionary Union funding to clubs and students who request money for projects that aim to improve the community.The Union treasurer has traditionally allocated about $10,000 to the Senate discretionary fund, half of which half will now be allocated to the FSC. This is in contrast to the previous system, in which all of that money was allocated through Senate Money Requests (SMRs).

Former Union Treasurer Aaron Gaynor '07 told the Justice last spring that the Senate had essentially become a "second Finance Board," and that so many SMRs made handling them all difficult. Gaynor said he had wanted to shift the time used for hearing SMRs during Senate meetings to time used for advocating for the student body.

"People felt rejected by the old system in that they didn't have their piece heard," said Union Treasurer Nick Freeman '07, who is also a member of the FSC. "This system is specifically designed to address the concerns that were brought up by the old system."

Applications are now being submitted to the FSC, explaining why an event deserves funding. The individual who submits the application then meets with the committee to discuss the request in more detail. The committee then makes its decision, which must receive Senate approval, according to Ziv Quad Senator Adam Gartner '07, a member of the committee.

Ridgewood Quad Senator Brian Paternostro '07, who is on the committee, said the FSC streamlines the process of requesting money from the senate.

He described the process as "smooth" and "transparent" and predicted that it would "ensure that the money goes to people who need it the most, not just the people who didn't get fully funded by F-Board," Paternostro said.

According to the by-law, the committee provides funding for projects that contribute to the community in at least one of four ways: social justice, social life, diversity or school spirit.

The committee's chairman, Class of 2006 Senator Sam Siegel, said the Union decided to allocate the $5,000 toward projects that would improve the community. Massell Quad Senator Jacob Bockelmann '09 and Ziv Quad Senator Adam Gartner '07 also belong to the committee.

"When we give money from this fund, we want to make a statement with what we're doing," Siegel said.

The by-law also allows for recognized clubs, which cannot go before the F-Board, to request money from the committee. The FSC can also allocate funding for club transportation, publicity and food expenses, requests that the F-Board does not fund.

"As a commission, we can talk and compromise using the guidelines to decide what the student government should support," Siegel said.

The FSC will meet at least once a month, which Paternostro said gives the board time to gather and compare money request applications. The committee will meet at the discretion of Siegel.

Though the legislation is new, the Union will likely re-evaluate the FSC by the end of the Spring 2006 semester due to the possible overhaul of Union finances, which may follow Student Activity Fund reform later this year.



Editor's note: FSC member Adam Gartner '07 is a staff writer for the Justice.