Are you trying to start a new club? Get more money for an existing club? Attend a conference? Need money? Ask the Community Senate. The Community Senate gets its funds from the student activity fees – over $350,000 expected for 2005-06. Their funds exist to finance student activities and campus interests.

No, a nude tree-climbing club does not qualify! But if you do have legal activities for which you need money, you may petition Senate. However, be advised that the process is time consuming and quite tedious.

So be methodical in your formulations and show persistency. Who knows, that trip to the Bahamas may be courtesy of your local, neighborhood Community Senate.

Below I outline the basic procedure to get any proposal approved:

1. Submit your proposal to Steering

Email your proposal to [email protected]. Your proposal will get forwarded to Senate’s Steering Committee, which consists of the chairs of the different committees on Senate (Academic, Budget, etc.). Once your proposal is forwarded to Steering, they will discuss it briefly in their weekly meeting. From there they will forward your proposal to appropriate committees for greater scrutiny.

Steering will go over your proposal at the next available meeting, after receiving recommendations and further insight from the committee’s review. It will then make recommendations/stipulations as to how to improve your proposal.

2. Proposal is forwarded to Budget Committee

The proposal, with suggestions, is sent to the Senate Budget Committee. The Budget Committee reviews and makes recommendations based specifically on the budget allocations that you request.

They determine if your request is feasible and check the items on which you plan to spend the money. They also determine whether they have the money that you are asking for left in their budget. The Budget Committee may make suggestions, and/or cuts to your budget total.

The amended proposal, containing both the recommendations of the Budget and Steering Committees is returned to the submitter.

Also be aware that if you are submitting a proposal for a new club, you may only receive a maximum of $500 for your first year. You may petition for more in following years during budget hearings, which are happening April 8 and 9 this year.

3. Submitter writes revised proposal

After you address the changes suggested by Steering and Budget Committees, you resubmit your proposal to Steering. If the Steering Committee notices that you have addressed their concerns, they approve your proposal for discussion on the Senate floor. Senate meets weekly, where all senators will hear and talk about your proposal.

If not approved by Steering, you get your proposal back for further revisions.

4. Proposal brought to Senate

Once the proposal is before to the Senate floor, senators will ask questions and offer suggestions, etc. Then, there will be a week’s recess, where senators deliberate and consult with their constituencies. However, if your proposal is of a time-sensitive nature, then Senate can motion for immediate decision.

5. Second Senate meeting

In the second Senate meeting, questions posed in previous weeks are addressed and new questions learned from constituents are brought to the floor.

You may want to be present at the meeting to answer some questions that may not be answered in your proposal.

Then the floor hears the recommendations from Steering and Budget Committee.

After reports from these committees, the senators make a decision. There has to be consensus. If your proposal is approved, you will work with Senate Business Manager for funds and other details.

Total standard processing time from submission to approval: Two weeks. Minimum processing time: One (1) week.

There are as many as 40 clubs on campus receiving their finances from the Community Senate. However, few receive all the finances that they request from Senate.

For instance, the Health Science club requested $410 but received $350; Ultimate received $3400 of their petitioned $6000 and Union received $109,000 of their $170,000 total request.

Therefore, plan wisely. But there is money out there. Got a proposal?