by Graham Reid
The Business and Finance Committee (BFC) received requests for a total of $160,531.95 from student organizations, down from last semester’s $234,000. Of those requests, the BFC granted $137,676.75, as opposed to the $160,000 they granted last semester.
The BFC is funded through the $150-per-semester “Student Activities Fee” students pay as part of tuition. In addition to funding student groups, the BFC pays for services like the Mount Vernon shuttle and The New York Times copies available in Peirce Hall.
The BFC normally receives fewer requests during the fall budget hearing than the spring one — making this year’s decrease in budget requests a surprise. However, when groups submit their budgets for the fall of the upcoming year, many student groups make leadership transitions and have trouble making plans in advance.
BFC Co-Chair Eleanor Ritchie ’14 thought requests this year followed the usual trend, but said she noticed an even steeper decline than she expected. “The requested number seems very low,” she said. The BFC normally sets aside $150,000 for its semester budget hearings, and despite meeting almost all requests in accordance with BFC bylaws, the committee had over $12,000 left.
According to Ritchie, most of the roughly $25,000 the BFC did not award for the fall 2014 semester was requested for things forbidden by BFC bylaws. The BFC does not pay for food and only covers two-thirds of hotel expenses.
But Tacci Smith, who has taken over Christina Haas’s advisory role in the BFC during the College’s search for a new director of student activities, does not think this year’s requests are out of the ordinary. “It feels different because the fall to spring [difference] is so big,” Smith said.
Ritchie cited unfulfilled leadership requirements or incomplete end-of-semester evaluations, both of which must be completed for BFC funding eligibility, to explain the low numbers. “I was surprised by the amount of groups that were ineligible [for BFC funds],” she said. “A lot of it was in leadership requirements.”
Ritchie also mentioned confusion and problems with the Orgsync evaluation form sent out by Chair of Student Life Chris Wright ’14 as possible causes for the high level of ineligibility. Wright did not respond to requests for comment.
Smith agreed with Ritchie, saying, “This semester there did seem to be several more [ineligibilities].”
Assistant Director of Student Activities for Leadership Sam Filkins, however, did not think the requirements posed a problem to groups. “I think it’s a pretty manageable requirement,” he said. “We’re really open to what we accept for that.”
Additionally, Ritchie attributed some of the ineligible groups to confusion in the Student Activities Office (SAO) after Haas’s departure, saying, “Obviously everything’s a little chaotic right now as the search continues for a new director.”
However, Filkins thought the changes within the SAO did not hinder groups from applying for funds. “I don’t think we’ve missed a step,” he said.
When applying for funds, groups submitting budgets over $1,000 are required to present to the BFC, while those with smaller budgets are not. Three groups with appointments — Kenyon Students for Justice in Palestine, Asia Society of Kenyon and men’s Ultimate frisbee — did not show up at their assigned presentation times, despite being eligible and submitting budgets. Thus, they were not offered funding. These absentees played a significant role in this semester’s low allocation. KSJP could not be reached for comment. Men’s ultimate frisbee declined to comment for this article.
Smith was surprised by the groups that didn’t show up. “A couple of them were groups that have been more consistent in the past and have asked for a somewhat significant amount of money,” she said.
Even so, the SAO will try to work to accommodate groups who missed their appointments or did not submit budgets at all. “There’s been talk about moving the first supplemental [budget hearing earlier in the year],” Filkins said. Such a move would reduce the strain on groups that wanted to secure BFC funding at last weekend’s hearing, but did not receive it.
In addition, groups can apply for Fun Funds, or in some cases, Gund Funds or Peirce Funds — which provide for non-alcoholic events in Gund Commons and Peirce Hall, respectively — before the first BFC supplemental hearing, or to finance food the BFC does not cover.
Despite these options and the SAO’s impending decisions, many groups may have trouble getting funding. Ritchie felt next year’s committee would “use more discretion” than normal in supplemental hearings. “It’s first-come, first-served,” she said.
$25,000 the BFC did not award for the fall 2014 semester was requested for things forbidden by BFC bylaws. The BFC does not pay for food and only covers two-thirds of hotel expenses.
But Associate Dean of Students Tacci Smith, who has taken over former Director of Student Activities Christina Haas’s role as BFC advisor during the College’s search for a new director, does not think this year’s requests are out of the ordinary. “It feels different because the fall-to-spring [difference] is so big,” Smith said.
Ritchie cited unfulfilled leadership requirements or incomplete end-of-semester evaluations, both of which must be completed for BFC funding eligibility, to explain the low numbers. “I was surprised by the amount of groups that were ineligible [for BFC funds],” she said. “A lot of it was in leadership requirements.”
Ritchie also mentioned confusion and problems with the Orgsync evaluation form sent out by Chair of Student Life Chris Wright ’14 as a possible cause for the high level of ineligibility. Wright did not respond to requests for comment.
Smith agreed with Ritchie, saying, “This semester there did seem to be several more [ineligibilities].”
Assistant Director of Student Activities for Leadership Sam Filkins, however, did not think the requirements posed a problem to groups. “I think it’s a pretty manageable requirement,” he said. “We’re really open to what we accept for that.”
Additionally, Ritchie attributed some of the ineligible groups to confusion in the Student Activities Office (SAO) after Haas’ departure, saying, “Obviously everything’s a little chaotic right now as the search continues for a new director.”
However, Filkins thought the changes within the SAO did not hinder groups from applying for funds. “I don’t think we’ve missed a step,” he said.
When applying for funds, groups submitting budgets of more than $1,000 are required to present to the BFC, while those with smaller budgets are not. Three groups with appointments — Kenyon Students for Justice in Palestine, Asia Society of Kenyon and men’s Ultimate frisbee — did not show up at their assigned presentation times, despite being eligible and submitting budgets. Thus, they were not offered funding. These absentees played a significant role in the semester’s low allocation. KSJP could not be reached for comment and men’s Ultimate frisbee declined to comment for this article.
Smith was surprised by the groups that didn’t show up. “A couple of them were groups that have been more consistent in the past and have asked for a somewhat significant amount of money,” she said.
Even so, the SAO will try to work to accommodate groups who missed their appointments or did not submit budgets at all. “There’s been talk about moving the first supplemental [budget hearing earlier in the year],” Filkins said. Such a move would provide another opportunity for groups that wanted to secure BFC funding at last weekend’s hearing, but did not receive it.
Before the first BFC supplemental hearing, groups can apply for Fun Funds, or in some cases, Gund Funds or Peirce Funds — which provide for non-alcoholic events in Gund Commons and Peirce Hall, respectively, or to finance food the BFC does not cover.
Despite these options and the SAO’s impending decisions, many groups may have trouble getting funding. Ritchie felt next year’s committee would “use more discretion” than normal in supplemental hearings. “It’s first-come, first-served,” she said.