September 27, 2007 Meeting

Registration and Five Member Rule Compliance

Erin Hundley announced that the four organizations described last week as having special issues with their registration forms had worked with Student Involvement Center staff to resolve all problems. Erin also has notified Corin Gioia, Coordinator for Greek Life, about the three Greek Life organizations that remain out of compliance with the Five Member Rule.

Applications for Recognition

The Committee considered the revised constitution of the American Studies Council of Majors, identified one technical problem, and agreed to ask the group to make the necessary amendment.

Carryover Funds

Chris Najmi reported that the Student Affairs Business Services Center's policy is that when an organization loses its UMBC recognition, its "carryover" (private) account is immediately deactivated. The funds are held for two years, then moved to SGA's general account. Chris agreed to ask the Business Services Center a few follow-up questions to inform future Student Organizations Committee discussions about whether any change in this policy is needed.

SGA Finance Board Policy Changes

Joy Adewumi reported that the SGA Finance Board has decided to use its authority as the funding source for student events to discourage organizations from charging UMBC students for admission. Generally, if an organization wants SGA to fully fund the cost of an event through the Student Activity Fee, it will have to let UMBC undergraduates attend for free. This will prevent students from being charged twice for the same event: once when they pay the Student Activity Fee, and again when they pay for a ticket. Joy also reported that the Finance Board will not provide seed money for fundraisers disconnected from events (e.g., bake sales) or for events for which the proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to charity.