Editorial
Club Funding: Kudos and Propositions
By Editorial Staff
September 15, 2016
Tags editorial
Last Monday, Student Assembly approved the strategic budget for student organizations for Fall 2016. The approved budget was the result of many hours of labor by the funding committee and the many organizations that submitted proposals. The end result was the allocation of $103,337 in funding to 47 different student organizations.
The current funding process is novel to the Hamilton campus - one that only dates back less than three years ago. The previous process, or lack thereof, created chaos amongst Hamilton clubs and organizations because it was on a first-come, first-served basis. Student organizations would rush to apply for funding and Student Assembly often exhausted its budget within a week of the semester. Unlucky clubs then had to rely on rollbacks to fund their events. The reform of the budget process was an effort taken by proactive and thoughtful members of Student Assembly. That reform radically rehabilitated a dysfunctional system. It also contributed to improving the quality of activities on campus while providing a sense of equity between the different organizations.
We applaud these reforms and advocate for more. Still further steps could be taken to insure oversight over allocated funds and to eliminate potential conflicts of interest. As a residential campus, the social life at Hamilton depends entirely on student-run organizations. It is these clubs and organizations that shape our college experience outside the classroom. It is for this reason that we must continue to improve our funding process.