Senate working to make funding easier to receive
Offering students an easier process to receive funding for academic events and competitions was one goal presented to the Academic Senate by the Academic Opportunity Fund ad hoc committee Monday night.
The committee members – Natural Resources Senator Andrew Shaw, Engineering Senator Lincoln Essig and Academic Senate Chairman Spencer Watts – worked over the course of the semester to simplify the process of filing for money from the Academic Opportunity Fund. This would eliminate stress on both the applicants and those students who review and award the funds.
The funding for AOF is set aside at the beginning of each fall semester for students who are invited to participate in academic events or competitions. This year’s fund started out at $8,600 and is currently around $6,200. The major changes to the AOF application were the addition of a section that broke down cost estimates for travel, food, lodging and the event. A series of descriptions of what the event is, the applicant’s role in the event and how the experience is related to, and will enhance, the applicant’s field of study was more clearly outlined as well.
One of the most significant changes that will be made to the AOF process is the application for funding will eventually be hosted on the A-Station, ASUSU’s Web site, for students to access and submit in addition to getting the materials from Taggart Student Center Room 326.
However, three major concerns arose during the senate meeting about if the applicant would be allowed in the AOF meeting, the process of review by the appointed AOF board and if there should be mandatory proof of appropriate use of funding by those awarded money.
“I would feel strongly about closing this meeting,” Tim Peterson, Science senator, said.
After the applicant files the application, a committee comprised of students would listen to the senator from the applicant’s respective college and then review the applicant’s funding request and vote to award the funding requested or a lower amount. Several senators voiced concern that if the applicant were present during the vote, emotions may run high and uncomfortable situations may arise.
“I think it should be closed definitely to the applicant [and the senator],” Stacy Brown, Education senator, said, adding, “I really think [the senator presenting] is in between a rock and a hard place.”
Cody Bingham, Agriculture senator, presented a compromise between the extremes of a completely open and closed meeting. The applicant could be present during the presentation made by his/her’s senator and leave during the committee’s vote.
Brown voiced hesitation to Bingham’s suggestions because of possible confusion with multiple application reviews during one meeting.
“I don’t think it’s appropriate to have one student listen to another student’s application,” she said.
A significant change to the AOF committee was proposed as well. Currently, the Academic Senate is in charge of awarding students money from the AOF, Shaw said, but there should be a separate body to run this operation. Shaw said the original AOF legislation states the Academic Senate president will preside over the AOF Allocation Committee and can choose to serve as the chairperson or designate an alternate. The remaining committee members will be students appointed by college senators from each respective college.
Shaw, who led the discussion and is heading the AOF ad hoc committee, said he would take into consideration suggestions made during the meeting to finalize the revisions made to the AOF process.
-kcashton@cc.usu.edu