Editor’s note: This article was initially published in The Daily Gazette, Swarthmore’s online, daily newspaper founded in Fall 1996. As of Fall 2018, the DG has merged with The Phoenix. See the about page to read more about the DG.
Editor’s Note: The Student Budget Committee (SBC) meets every Sunday at 5 PM in Sharples to discuss requests for student group funding. Each week the Daily Gazette publishes a summary of these meetings. For more information, contact swarthmoresbc@gmail.com.
Global Health Forum
The Global Health Forum is a group whose members seek to improve global health through awareness-raising activities. The group requested $70.00 in funding for group-owned supplies; these funds would be used to purchase food for a study break. The Student Budget Committee has a cap on food funding of $30.00 per event for non-cultural groups. As a result, a Committee member proposed an adjusted $30.00 in funding. The proposal passed unanimously with one abstention.
Swarthmore Asian Organization (SAO)
The Swarthmore Asian Organization (SAO) is a cultural group for the community of Swarthmore students who identify as Asian or Pacific Islander. At their meetings, members discuss a variety of issues relevant to Asian-Americans. They also orchestrate all-campus events and interact with Philadelphia’s Chinatown. SAO requested $200.00 in funding for their annual faculty and staff dinner with SAO members. The group had been approved for $250.00 in funding for this event last semester during spring budgeting, and the additional $200.00 in funding would serve to match final costs that were not known during spring budgeting. While the Student Budget Committee does not normally have a limit on funding for cultural groups, discussion ensued among Committee members related to a food cap for closed events. A food cap of $300.00 for closed cultural group events was proposed; the intent behind this proposal was to encourage cultural groups to host more open events, as well as to encourage more careful budgeting and accountability. There was a proposal for $50.00 in funding to meet the tentative cap of $300.00. This proposal passed unanimously.
Cultural Groups: Cap on Food Funding for Internal Events
Several Committee members expressed an interest in officially raising the cap on food funding for cultural groups’ closed events. One member suggested a food cap of $300.00 for cultural groups proposing a new event and a cap of $200.00 through supplemental allocations for groups requesting funds for an annual event (i.e. in addition to the amount approved during spring budgeting). This discussion will continue at a later point in time.
