What Does an SGA Finance Bd. Rep. Do? (Apply for 2017-2018)

Sun, 12 Mar 2017 17:09:23 -0400
sga, sgaelection, sgafinanceboard, studentgovernment, umbc, umbcsga

by Craig Berger

In an earlier post I described what an SGA Senator does. Below I explain the role of an SGA Finance Board member.

NOTE: SGA candidate applications for 2017-2018 are due at noon on Monday, March 27th. There are 20 available elected positions (President, Executive Vice President, Vice President for Student Organizations, Treasurer, 11 Senators, and 5 Finance Board Representatives).

You can find the application here.

The SGA Finance Board

Membership: The Finance Board’s members include the Vice President for Student Organizations, the Treasurer, and five Representatives, all of whom are elected by the student body. In addition, the Finance Board can add up to three nonvoting First Year Ambassadors each fall. Also, the President, Executive Vice President and SGA Advisor, as well as UMBC’s President and Vice President for Student Affairs, are ex-officio (nonvoting) Finance Board members. The voting members elect a Chair, who runs the weekly meetings and organizes the Finance Board’s work, and a Vice Chair who fills in when the Chair is absent.

Key Responsibilities:

Allocating Funds to Student Organizations: The Finance Board is responsible for managing the portion of SGA’s annual budget that is set aside to support student organizations. Throughout the academic year, student organizations can request funds by completing an Allocation Request Form and submitting it to the Treasurer. The total amount requested each year is far larger than the total amount of funding available. At its weekly meetings, the Finance Board reviews these forms and (for larger requests) meets with officers of the student organizations that submitted them, and considers whether each request meets the following criteria:

The rules governing Finance Board allocations do not prohibit funding the request (i.e., it was not submitted after the deadline, the funds will not be used to purchase alcohol, the funds will not be donated to charity, etc.); and

The proposed use of these funds is so worthwhile that the Finance Board is willing to turn down other requests in order to devote these funds to the group’s objective.

The Finance Board takes a vote on each request, approving it, disapproving it, or postponing consideration until a later date. A majority of members must vote in favor of a request in order to approve it. The President may veto allocations approved by the Finance Board, and the Finance Board can override the President’s veto by a 2/3 vote.

Communicating with Student Organizations: The Finance Board communicates with student organizations about how to submit requests, the rules governing Finance Board allocations, what makes for a good request, and whether requests have been approved, disapproved or postponed.

Participating in SGA Decision-Making: The Finance Board shares responsibility with the Senate and other SGA officers in connection with decisions about the annual budget, allocations from the SGA's reserve fund, and approval of certain appointed officers.

Participating in SGA Initiatives and Activities: Finance Board members work with members of the other branches of SGA to contribute to positive change on campus. It is especially helpful when Finance Board members identify and develop ways to support student organizations more effectively, such as improvements to the event planning and implementation process.

Guiding Philosophy: Student organizations are key forums for students to participate in creating campus life and enhancing the experiences of every member of the UMBC community. When student organizations are active and inspired, they can energize the entire campus. When student organizations are poorly supported, confused and frustrated, their inability to contribute to campus life diminishes everyone’s experience.

However, because financial resources are limited, the Finance Board often finds itself in the position of saying “no” to student organization requests. Sometimes the Finance Board must decline requests for worthwhile activities simply because there is only so much money to go around, and the Finance Board wants to use it to support the most beneficial events and projects. By dealing fairly, openly and courteously with every request, and by making hard judgments to ensure that the available funds go to support the best initiatives, the Finance Board makes an important contribution to every UMBC student’s experience of campus life.

One of the Finance Board’s key concerns is being consistent in its judgments. Two groups with equally good track records who submit identical requests a couple of months apart should not receive different treatment, both because it would be unfair and because it would confuse other organizations about what the Finance Board is interested in funding. So with each decision, a part of what the Finance Board considers is whether it would be able to accommodate other groups making the same request. For example, if the Finance Board receives a request to pay for one group’s promotional buttons, it should consider whether it would be willing to pay for any other group’s promotional buttons if the circumstances were the same.

Eligibility Requirements and Time Commitment:

From the SGA Constitution: "In order to be eligible to seek and hold elected SGA offices, or appointed offices for which a stipend is provided and/or the officer is responsible for supervising other appointed officers, an individual must be a UMBC undergraduate, have at least a cumulative 2.25 GPA, maintain at least a 2.25 semester GPA while in office, and neither be on academic probation nor under disciplinary suspension (whether in effect, imposed for a future time period or held in abeyance). [...] [A]ll Senate and Representatives must adhere to the attendance requirements determined by their respective legislative body and as outlined in each respective body’s procedural rules to maintain eligibility."

The Finance Board Representative position requires attendance at weekly meetings. The Finance Board meets every Tuesday starting at 5:30 p.m. Anyone can attend, but all members of the Finance Board must attend. If you are running for Finance Board Representative, you are not able to enroll in a class that will be in session after 5:30 p.m. on Tuesdays during the 2017-2018 academic year. (Meetings occasionally run as late as 11:00 p.m.).

Questions about the Finance Board, or about running for a position in SGA? Contact Election Board Chair Sophia Lopresti (soph3@umbc.edu) or send me an email at berger@umbc.edu. Be sure to get your application in by the deadline!

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