The Charter of The University of Michigan-Flint Student Funding Board

Transcription

1 The Charter of The University of Michigan-Flint Student Funding Board A. NAME i. The name of this body shall be the University of Michigan - Flint Student Government Student Funding Board, hereafter also referred to as the Student Funding Board, SFB, or the Board. B. STATEMENT ON FUNDING OF ACTIVITIES AND PROGRAMS i. The University of Michigan - Flint Student Government, through its auxiliary unit, the Student Funding Board, promotes a vibrant and diverse student and university life for both students and the university community as a whole. The Student Funding Board, as a trust of the students of the University of Michigan - Flint, works to advance a cocurricular culture that supports responsibility, mutual benefit, and professionalism for both the students who provide the funds, and the students whose leadership and service make a vibrant and diverse student and university life possible for all of us. It is the policy of the Student Funding Board to encourage student leaders and student organizations to develop, organize, and implement well-planned and executed student-initiated activities and programs. C. ORGANIZATION, POWERS AND DUTIES i. Composition a. The Board shall consist as follows: 1. The Treasurer of the Student Government (Director of Financial Affairs), who shall act as Chair of the Board; and 1

2 2. Three (3) Student Government members; and 3. Three (3) At-Large members. 4. The Board shall select from its members a Clerk of the Board ii. Qualification of At Large Members a. Qualification for At-Large members shall be as follows: 1. A registered student with a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or above and in good standing with the University of Michigan-Flint. At-Large members must sign a grade disclosure agreement with our Advisor 2. A student who shall not hold another office in the Student Government or be an officer of a student organization or team. iii. Required Information a. An Application for Appointment shall include a resume with at least the following information: 1. Name of student; and 2. Contact information; and 3. University of Michigan Identification Number; and 4. List of previous financial experience; and 5. List of previous volunteer experience; and 6. List of previous leadership experience; and 7. Reason(s) why s/he seeks appointment; and 8. What s/he will work to accomplish; and 9. A signed written statement that s/he has received a copy of the Charter of the Board and has read the Charter of the Board; 10. A signed conflict of interest disclosure form. iv. Selection Process for At-Large Members a. Selection process for At-Large members shall be as follows: 1. The Chair of the Board shall post notice of any and all open seats immediately outside of the Student Government Office(s), in every 2

3 academic and student service building, and with the Michigan Times within (5) business days after it becomes vacant 2. An exemption may be approved by the Council during the Spring/Summer Semester, but posting for an open seat must commence no later than the first day of Fall Semester 3. The Chair of the Board shall establish deadlines for submission of applications, but shall post an open seat for at least (5) business days in every academic and student service building 4. The Chair of the Board shall compile and review all applications for the appointment, and conduct interviews with at least the President of the University of Michigan-Flint Student Body and the Student Government Director of Government and Legal Affairs, and with the advice of the Advisor to Student Government. 5. The Chair of the Board shall submit to the Senate the names and applications for review and consent of the Senate v. Meetings a. Purpose 1. The schedule of meetings is set to ensure the following purposes: a) With a limited amount of funds available through the Student Activity Fee, the Board can review proposals with the broadest possible overview of potential activities and programs. Consideration for proposals is given in a content neutral fashion b) To encourage pre-planning and professionalism; and c) To provide the most efficient use of time. b. Meeting Schedule 1. The Board Shall Meet bi-weekly. 2. All meeting dates and locations of the Funding Board shall be communicated to and readily available to the student body. Posting of meetings dates and times will include (but is not limited to) s to the student body, posting of Funding Board schedule outside the student 3

4 government office, posting of meeting dates and times on Mgagement, advertising via digital signage on campus. 3. It is the policy of the Board to promote academic achievement, therefore, the Board schedule only includes weeks of the regular instruction. It shall not meet during Study Days or during Finals week. vi. Powers and Duties of the Board a. The Board shall have the power to: 1. Review student organization proposals for funding from the Student Activity Fee; and 2. Make decisions about disbursement of funds; and 3. Recall any and all disbursed funds; and 4. Audit disbursed funds and requesting student organization; and 5. Annually audit a student organization that has received funds through the Board; and 6. Freeze the account(s) of a student or student organization that received funds through the Board but did not use the funds for their intended purpose ; and 7. Call an emergency meeting of the Board with a three-fourth (3/4) concurrence. In the event that the board agrees to meet, the meeting time, location, and date will be made known to the campus community as well as to the organization(s) receiving consideration. 8. To amend an allocation if deemed necessary by the Board or Chair. b. The Board shall have the duty to: 1. Ensure student organization that has met the minimal criteria for funding shall have their proposal heard. The minimal criteria for a group to have their proposal heard are that the VSO be currently registered with the Department of Student Involvement and Leadership and be in good standing with the university.2. Ensure that every organization shall be given reasonable time to speak to the Board about the facts and merits of their proposal; and 4

5 2. Make decisions that provide the greatest benefit for the students based on facts of a case; and 3. Uphold the integrity and impartiality of the Board and its members; and 4. Adhere to the policies and practices of the University of the Michigan and the Student Government; and 5. Take all votes in an open meetings; and 6. Provide a student and the university community reasonable comment time during a meeting of the Board; and 7. Ensure student access to the policies and practices of the Board and that there is an open means by which a student can seek a change in policy and practice. Such changes can be implemented by: vii. a) Having a meeting with members of the funding board to offer suggestions b) Addressing the Senate of Student Government and requesting a policy change or review Powers and Duties of the Chair a. The Chair shall have the power to: 1. Lead the meetings of the Board; and 2. Organize a meeting agenda of the Board; and 3. Ensure an orderly meeting of the Board; and 4. Expend funds from the Student Funding Board account; and 5. Call a special meeting of the Board with twenty-four (24) hour notice; and 6. Freeze the account(s) of a student or student organization when an organization has not used Board funds for their intended purpose. 7. Dismiss any voting member from a vote if they are found to be in a conflict of interest. b. The Chair shall have the duty to: 1. Disseminate all relevant information to Board members; and 2. Submit to the Senate an appointee for each open seat on the Board; and 5

6 3. Submit to the Senate an annual budget proposal; and 4. Post meeting times and places of the Board as prescribed by Student Government policy on meeting and event notice. 5. Dismiss any voting member from a vote if they are found to the in a conflict of interest. D. PROCEDURE FOR SUBMITTING A PROPOSAL FOR FUNDING i. Deadline for Submission of Proposal a. All allocation requests must be submitted to the Funding Board no sooner than two weeks prior to the date of activity. b. A student, student organization or team requested by the Board to submit follow-up information at a meeting of first consideration shall do so at least two (2) business days in advance of a meeting of review. c. A Requester shall have the right to be present at a meeting when their proposal is being considered by the Board. ii. Attendance at a Meeting a. Attendance by a Requester shall not be required for consideration by the Board. However, the Board may have questions for a Requester and may use the lack of information as grounds for denial of a proposal. iii. Required Information: a. A proposal for funding shall include the following information complete and submit the allocation form. 1. Name of requester; and 2. Name of student organization or team, if acting on behalf of; and 3. Contact information; and 4. Advisor s name and contact information; and 6

7 5. Purpose of proposal; and 6. Itemized list of all expenses, even if requesting only partial funding; and 7. What a Requester has done to raise funds for the expenses; and 8. How funding will benefit students; and 9. How funding will benefit the student, student organization or team; and 10. A signed statement acknowledging that the funds are the property of the Student Funding Board, and any unused funds cannot be used by the Requester for any other use, and that any unused funds will be returned to the Student Funding Board; and 11. A signed statement that a copy of all receipts will be turned into the Chair of the Board 12. A current financial statement of the organization from Student Involvement and Leadership E. MEETING PROCEDURE i. Requester and Public Comment a. Requester and Public Comment 1. A Requester shall have an opportunity to be heard and give support for their proposal b. A Requester shall communicate with the Chair of the Board their desire to speak before the Senate at least one hour in advance of a meeting of the Senate to be placed on the agenda. c. A student and member of the public shall be provided five (5) minutes to communicate and express their thoughts on a proposal during a meeting. 1. A student and member of the public seeking public comment shall notify the Chair of the Board at least one hour in advance of a meeting of their intention to speak. ii. Closed Session 7

8 a. A meeting of the Board shall be open to all students and the public. b. The Board may hold closed sessions with a two-thirds (2/3) affirmative vote of the respective membership voting to hold a closed session. Closed sessions shall keep minutes and may be held only for the discussion and consideration of the following: 1. Matters involving litigation that would adversely affect the legal interests of the Board, Student Government, University, or University campus; and 2. Matters concerning candidates for appointment and employment, or for performance review, compensation, or dismissal of the Board staff and members. iii. Decisions All decisions made by the Board shall be in a meeting open to the students and general public. a. Decisions 1. A decision of the Board shall be invalid if the Board had not complied with Title (e), Section(s) (i), (ii), (iii) in making the decision, or if failure to give proper notice in accordance with Title (e), Section (vii) had occurred. 2. A decision of a student organization shall be invalid, or funding denied, recalled, or rescinded, if the student organization has not complied with the requirements of Title (e), Section (vii), Subsection (3), or if failure to give proper notice in accordance with Title (e), Section (vii), Subsection (3) occurred. iv. Quorum a. All decisions of the Board made while quorum is present shall be considered as having been conducted in a meeting. b. The following exemptions are provided for the Board and require that no policy-making or decision-making can be made when quorum is present under such situations. 1. Title (e) provides for the following exemptions: 2. Those provided by applicable law; and 3. Leadership training, conferences, institutes, seminars, and courses; and 8

9 4. Social gatherings; and 5. Closed sessions. c. Meetings and activities of student organizations funded by the Board or through the Student Activity Fee shall be open to all students. 1. This act provides for the following exemptions: a) Those provided by applicable law; and b) Leadership training, conferences, institutes, seminars, and courses; and c) Social gatherings; and d) Closed sessions. v. Breach of the Peace vi. vii. a. No student or person shall be denied admittance to a meeting of the Board or the student organization funded by the Board, or through the Student Activity Fee, except as provide in Title (e), Section (ii), and (iv), (2), (a), and Subsection (vi), (1,2,3), and when a breach of the peace is actually committed at a meeting. Voting by Proxy a. Members of the Board shall not be able to vote by proxy in any matters before the Board. Notice of Activities and Meetings a. All activities and meetings of the Board shall be posted and noticed in plain view inside and immediately outside of the Student Government Office(s) for at least five (5) business days, previous to a meeting or activity, and a copy transmitted to the Michigan Times, except as provided for emergency or special meetings which shall be posted and noticed immediately upon the Chair s decision to call such a meeting b. All meeting notices shall include the name Student Funding Board, its respective telephone number, its respective address, the meeting address, and the nature of the meeting. 9

10 c. All agenda items before the Board shall be publicly noticed and publicized by placing a copy of an agenda immediately outside of the Student Government Office (s) for at least five (5) days, previous to consideration by the Board, except in cases as provided for in Title (e), Section (ii), Subsection (2), and shall also be transmitted to the Michigan Times. d. All activities exempted within Title (e), (iv), (2), (a) shall include Student Funding Board, its respective telephone number, its respective address, the meeting address, and the nature of the activity. e. The call and notice of a special meeting and any relevant viii. information shall be posted inside and outside the Michigan Student Government Office (s) for at least forty-eight (48) hours, previous to a meeting, and shall specify the nature of the business to be conducted. f. All activities and meetings of a student organization who received funds from the Board, or Student Activity Fee, are required to post notice of the meeting or activity for which they are receiving funds on the posting board in the Student Organizations Office for at least seventy-two (72) hours prior to the funded meeting or activity, Saturday, Sunday, and a nonacademic instruction day shall be excepted. The notice must be date stamped by Student Involvement and Leadership or the Student Government and will state the time, place, and activity or meeting that will occur. a. A student, student organization, or the public shall be provided with a copy of a meeting notice and legislation, free of charge, upon the receipt of a written proposal. b. The Board shall not take action unless and until an agenda has been publicly posted for at least five (5) business days, except as provided for special meetings. 10

11 ix. Minutes a. Minutes of the Board meetings shall be kept on file for. 1. Minutes will include at least time, date, place, members present, members absent, and decisions made. 2. The Board shall prescribe the format that the minutes are to be taken and kept. a) Minutes will be provided for student and public review no later than five (5) business days after the meeting at which the minutes were taken, and will be labeled as unofficial prior to their adoption. b) Minutes are an open record and will be available to the students and public upon a written proposal, except as provided for closed sessions. 3. No student shall be charged for the cost of being provided a record of the minutes 4. The general public may only be charged for the material costs of being provided a record of the minutes. 5. The minutes taken during a closed session shall remain on file for two calendar years and closed unless judicial action requires its opening. In such cases the Judiciary shall be provided with a copy of the closed session minutes, and may make a determination as to the necessity of making the record open to the students and public at that time. x. Compliance and Penalties a. Compliance 1. The Judiciary may issue orders of injunctive relief for failure to comply with Title (e). b. Penalties 1. The Judiciary may issue and enforce, upon a finding of responsibility, one or more of the following penalties per incident: 11

12 a) A written reprimand; and b) Removal from office in cases of malicious intent or a second offense under Title (e); and c) The freezing of the accounts of the Board or a student organization for up to one hundred and twenty (120) days; and d) The funding of a student organization through monies generated from the Student Activity Fee may be frozen until the Board votes to unfreeze the account. c. Penalties of a Receiver of Funds 1. The Penalties listed are for those who have received funding from the Board and that have not returned receipts upon the Receipt Deadline: a) The Chair or Clerk will notify the Student Organization that has received funds through the Board that they have received funds and that they must return all proof of purchases and receipts to the Board. b) If said Student Organization does not reply, the Chair or Clerk will warn said Student Organization that if they do not return the proof of purchases and receipts, then the Board will freeze the organization s account, and will give a Freezing Deadline. c) If said Student Organization does not reply by the Freezing Deadline, the Board will hold a vote to freeze said organization s account along with a Charge Deadline. d) If they do not reply by the Charge Deadline, the Board will hold a vote to charge said Student 12

13 Organization s account the amount that they received from the Board. e) Once the Chair or Clerk receives proof of purchases or receipts, the Chair will unfreeze said Student Organization s account. F. RIGHTS OF A REQUESTER i. Rights of a Requester a. Each Requester shall have these Rights protected by the Board: 1. To have proposal considered on presented and documented information; and 2. To be fully informed about the funding process; and 3. To be fully informed on how a policy was made and how it can be changed; and 4. To receive a written and/or electronic copy of the policies and procedures of the Board; and 5. To support their proposal at a public meeting where their proposal is being considered; and 6. To be notified of a meeting and decisions made; and 7. To appeal a decision of the Board on substantive and/or procedural grounds. G. REQUIREMENTS ON FUNDING i. Restrictions on Expenditures a. Funds from the Board shall be restricted from the use for the following purposes: 1. Funding a student organization more than $2,300 a year 2. Costs not related to the academic and/ or co-curricular mission of the University or requesting student organization; and 3. Alcohol, tobacco products, or contraband; and 4. For assistance with event and conference funding, Fraternities and Sororities must apply to their respective councils (IFC, CPA, Or NPHC). Likewise, Club Sports teams must request funds from the office of the Coordinator of Club Sports; and 13

14 5. For assistance with conference funding of all other Student Organizations, the Board will only provide allocations for registration of conferences. Funding Board will not fund travel, dining or other expenditures. 6. Direct monetary contribution to a non-profit or on behalf of a nonprofit; and 7. Funding political campaign activities. This includes: advocating for or against a candidate for any elective office; advocating for or against the adoption of any legislation; advocating for or against the qualification or adoption of a any ballot initiative. ii. iii. 8. Religious worship. University funds cannot be used to provide direct support of religious worship. This prohibition does not preclude use of University funds in connection with activities involving the expression of religious viewpoints nor does it preclude groups that engage in religious worship from receiving funds for other activities; and 9. Gift certificates/cards; and 10. Consultants; and 11. Salary, stipend, tuition, and/or fees; and 12. Membership fees. Waiver a. Financial restrictions enumerated within this Act may be waived, in writing,by the Student Funding Board for the purposes of student organizational funding. 1. No waiver shall be offered post event or purchase date; and 2. A waiver must be written and submitted to the Chair of the Board, and showing supportive reason and documentation why it is in the interest of the student body to offer a waiver, at least ten (10) business days prior to the event. 3. A waiver must be approved by the Chair of the Board. Requirements for Funding a. Each organization may receive no more than $2,300 in Funding Board Allocations for the academic year. 14

15 1. Exceptions for one-time costs that exceed $2,300 may be considered by the board for funding. b. Each funded proposal shall on its flyers or promotional materials display the words Sponsored (or Funded) by Student Government d Stationary funded through the Board shall display the Seal of the Student Government, or, Logo of the Student Government; and e Each funded proposal approved to raise funds for an activity or organization shall return the approved amount to the Board within five (5) business days following the completion of the fund-raising activity. f A fund-raising activity that did not raise funds equal to or greater than the approved operational costs of the fund-raiser shall be exempt from this requirement. H. EFFECTIVE DATES AND TRANSITION i. Effective Dates I. GENERAL PROVISIONS 1. The Requester must or bring a print out of their organization account record a. This Charter shall be effective immediately upon adoption by the Senate. b. The Board shall be authorized for a thirty day transition period during it which it will provide proper notification to all student organizations, and establish all forms and publish all information necessary for conducting its mission. i. Authorized Signers on Financial Accounts a. The Treasurer, and the Clerk of the Student Funding Board in cases of her/his inability, shall be authorized to expend monies from the Student Funding Board Account. ii. Publication of the Charter, Funding Manual, and Publications a. An official copy of a Charter of the Board, funding manual, and publications shall be kept in an electronic, printable format in the Student Government Office and shall be maintained by the Student Government Secretary. b. A copy of the Charter of the Board, funding manual, and publications shall be available for personal review by hardcopy, website, or electronic format. 15

16 c. A current copy of the Charter of the Board, funding manual, and publications shall be made available, free of charge, to all new members of the Student Government and students, and material costs may be charged to other interested persons. iii. Rules of Order a. The meetings of the Board shall be conducted in agreement with the current version of Robert s Rules of Order. iv. Appeals a. An organization that is not satisfied with a decision of the funding board may appeal the decision using the following format: 1. Requesting an appeal hearing with the Chair of Funding Board in writing within 72 hrs of receiving the Funding Board s Initial Decision. 2. Upon receiving the request for appeal, a hearing will be scheduled at the next Senate meeting. 3. The appealing organization will have the opportunity to be heard during this meeting. 4. The Chair of Funding Board will have the opportunity to be heard and present the rationale for the initial decision. The Chair of Funding Board will be present only to present the rationale for the decision before being excused. 5. All senators who serve on funding board will not be present during the senate meeting. 6. No members of the executive board shall be present during the appeal hearing. 7. The Senate will inform the organization and the Chair of Funding Board their decision once a decision has been made. 8. A written rationale for the decision shall be provided to the Funding Board, the appealing organization, and the advisor to Student Government within 24 hours of the hearing. ii. v. Amendment of the Charter a. This Charter shall be amended using the following process: 1. The Board shall submit to the Senate an amendment to the Charter of the Board; and 16

17 2. The Senate shall review and have advice and final consent on a proposed amendment to the Charter of the Board. 3. The Senate may, with a three-fourths (3/4) concurrence, bring the Charter before the Senate for review and amendment. 17