Student organizations that receive funding from the Student Discretionary Activity Fee will meet with the Student Finance Committee (SFC) this week to take part in a biannual assessment of the budgets and overall performances of the groups.
On Thursday, April 23, at 8 p.m., all Earmarked Fund Groups (EFGs) will be meeting in the ASNMU office. EFGs are student groups that receive an exact amount of money set aside by the SFC from the Student Activity Fee for the academic year.
Andrew Foster, chairman of the SFC, said that at the meeting the organization will be considering how responsible, organized and effective each group is.
“Each EFG currently serves a niche on campus and has proven consistent excellence in execution and quality of events,” Foster said.
The groups will submit a programming plan that outlines the programs that the EFG plans to implement in the Fall 2010 semester. They will estimate an amount that would adequately fund various aspects of the programming plan and the expected response by the university community to the programs in terms of attendance and contribution to the university’s atmosphere.
“EFG review is to ensure current EFGs are still meeting the high standards expected of them and to consider giving earmarked fund status to any other group that shows the same level of excellence,” Foster said.
Both qualitative and quantitative measure will be considered by the SFC at this meeting, said Foster. Each EFG must submit a form that outlines the number of students that attended their shows and the cost per student of each activity.
Campus Cinema is one of the EFGs that will be meeting on Friday April 23. They will be discussing student attendance to their events this semester, student costs and the new president who will be taking over next semester. Joseph Kubis, a senior management major, has been the president of Campus Cinema for a year and a half and has been a member of Campus Cinema for five years.
“As an EFG, we have an extra degree of responsibility because, if the officers don’t manage the group properly and manage events properly, that could mean dire consequences for that group,” Kubis said. “We’re held up to higher standards because we answer to the SFC.”
Before a group becomes an EFG, the group must submit a request for funds to the SFC for the activities they want to have or hold fundraisers. If the EFG does not use all of those funds, the money is either given back to the SFC or it carries over to the next semester. Jordan Buzzy, a senior art and design and sociology major, has been the president of First Aid Productions for one semester. He said that the SFC always would prefer the groups to spend the money than to give it back.
“The SFC always wants us to spend the money, which would show that we are being successful,” Buzzy said.
First Aid Productions will be discussing bringing Derrick Ashong, a political activist and reggae singer, to perform during the next school year.
“First Aid Productions is trying to branch out and do other things than bringing in just musicians,” Buzzy said.
Ashong is a (musician and is part) of the youth political social movement. Along with his band playing, he could give a speech at the United Conference on NMU’s campus in the fall.
This sort of activity would bring more students and would offer a unique and different event at NMU that could potentially ensure status as an EFG, Buzzy said.
