The Student Government Association Financial Advisory Board approved changes to how organizations appeal for funding as well as two appeals from Sigma Pi Theta and Cheer Squad at their Feb. 14 meeting.
At the Jan. 31 meeting, FAB finalized the criteria affiliated and SGA-funded organizations use to appeal for funding. The provisions unanimously approved at the Feb. 14 meeting allow organizations to appeal for denied funding appeals.
“Since we’re creating processes that will hopefully last for a long time, we should also keep in mind that at some point, whether in this year or a future year, an organization may be denied funding. We want to create a process by which they can appeal that,” Executive Treasurer Ian Mandt said in the meeting.
Organizations are now allowed to appeal FAB’s decisions for three different reasons—bias from FAB, misjudgment of criteria, and external factors. Organizations must email the SGA Treasury Team within two weeks of receiving a decision, to schedule a hearing during a FAB meeting. At the meeting, FAB would vote to reverse or uphold its earlier decision and the result would remain final for the academic year.
Sigma Pi Theta appealed for $2,576 to fund events related to Women’s History Month, which the sorority is calling Herstory Month, throughout March. The events will include a talk from Zhana Vrangalova, a doctor from New York University, about healthy hookups, a formal dance at the end of the month, and a themed photo shoot about overlooked women from history. FAB unanimously approved the request.
“[Vrangalova] has a set talk on hookup culture, so we’re really excited about that,” Sigma Pi Theta Herstory Chair Madison Umina said in the meeting.
Vrangalova normally charges $2,000 per talk, but due to her passion for the subject, she agreed to charge Sigma Pi Theta $600 for her travel costs and speaking fee, according to the appeal request.
FAB also approved an $8,382 appeal from the Emerson Cheer Squad to pay for new uniforms. , Final approval SGA’s joint session on Feb. 26 because the appeal is more than $5,000.
“We were looking for durability in our uniforms as well as just being able to fit everyone because [Varsity Spirit does] custom fittings for the entire team. We wanted to accommodate everyone on our team because currently, our uniforms don’t even fit properly,” Co-captain Vanessa Malouf said.
Last semester, the squad received $1,486 from FAB to pay for 12 new women’s uniforms and six new men’s uniforms from a different supplier that were meant to last about a year. But the supplier has since stopped making that type of uniform. The squad will order 24 women’s uniforms and three men’s uniforms to replace their old ones since it is difficult to make outfits from different suppliers match, Malouf said.
Cheer Squad plans to use the money from last semester’s appeal to pay for new warm-up jackets and matching sweatpants for all members to wear to games, Malouf said.
Varsity Spirit Corp., one of the top sportswear makers in the United States, guaranteed their uniforms will last at least ten years, Malouf said. Malouf said Cheer Squad cannot purchase cheaper, high-quality uniforms from Under Armor due to the college’s exclusivity with Nike.
