Show me the money

Finance division faced with large surplus

Nothing beats free, but according to Ferris’ Finance Division of Student Government, not enough students know that.
The Finance Division has nearly $100,000 in rollover funds from last year available to any student organization looking to fund travel or plan an event.
This is in addition to the $300,000 Student Activity Fund the division has available to allocate to student organizations each year. The Student Activity Fund is a $20 fee each Ferris student pays as a part of tuition. The fee was established in 1990 at $7.50.
“Recently, there has been a trend with student organizations not using the Finance Division to fund events,” said Dylan Carpenter, director of finance for Student Government.
Events such as Ferris Fest, the Homecoming Comedy Show and Ferris Has Talent are free this year due to funds allocated from the Student Activity Fee. Carpenter and the division are looking for ways to make funding easier to get, as he admits the process might be too difficult.
One change the division has already made is if a student organization requests money for an event planned shorter than four weeks in advance, the committee may vote to fastrack the process to approve funding. The Finance Division also raised the cap for travel allocations to $2,000.
“The surplus is always a lot,” said Student Government President Wayne Bersano. “That’s why we want to make it as easy as possible.”
Bersano explained that he wants students to think big, get cool events funded and not be shy when asking for help.
Organizations are required to meet with a mentor from the division to work through the application process. Music industry management junior Josh Olszewski said meeting with a mentor was helpful when he applied for funding to bring comedian T.J. Miller to Ferris for last year’s homecoming celebration.
“Even as a freshman, they made me feel very comfortable throughout the process,” he said.
Olszewski added if the event or trip is budgeted properly and provides value to the students, the process is very easy.  For more information on organizing events and travel using the Student Activity Fund, visit the Student Government OrgSync page or the Center for Leadership, Activities and Career Services (CLACS) office in the University Center.