Student-Senate-AFC-Policy-2018-19

By laws of the Student Senate of Wabash College Article VI Committees of the Student Senate Section Committee Appointment Pursuant to Article III, Section of these bylaws, the Chairman of the Senate will appoint all standing and special committees of the Senate Section Committeeman and Chairman Dismissal The Chairman of the Senate retains the authority to dismiss any committeeman or chairman The Senate may overrule the decision of the Chairman by a majority vote Section Standing Committees The Senate will have two standing committees: the Audit and Finance Committee and the Constitution, Bylaw, and Policy Review Committee Under Article IV, Section 3, Clause 10 of the Constitution of the Student Body, the chairmen of these committees will be non-voting members of the Senate unless serving in a dual role as a Senator, in which they will retain their voting privileges Section Audit and Finance Committee The Audit and Finance Committee will serve as the primary fiscal committee of the Senate and will serve to maintain the financial welfare and solubility of the Senate The voting membership of the of the Audit and Finance Committee will consist of the Treasurer of the Student Body, who will also serve as Chairman pursuant to Article IV, Section 7, Clause of these bylaws, and four other members Two of the members shall be appointed by the Treasurer of the Student Body and the other two appointed by the President of the Student Body Section Duties and Powers of the Audit and Finance Committee The Audit and Finance Committee is empowered to: Set the budgetary policy of the Senate, Draft the financial policy of the Senate, Draft the operational budget of the Senate, Audit the accounts of any activity, organization, or committee receiving funds from or maintaining assets of the Student Body, Track, maintain, and arrange storage for all tangible assets of the Student Body, Freeze the accounts of any activity, organization, or committee in the event of a breach of Senate financial policy, and Serve in all other capacities as directed by the Senate As of August 2018 page Financial Policy of the Student Senate & Audit & Finance Committee Section Authorizations Section 1.1 General Procedure All requests for Student Body funds shall be referred first to the AFC The Student Senate directs the officers of all student organizations to notify the AFC if they require additional funds, need to revert funds, or wish to use their funding for a purpose not previously approved by the Student Senate Section 1.2 Time Sensitive Authorizations The Student Senate grants the President of the Student Body and the Treasurer of the Student Senate/AFC, subject to a vote, the right to authorize transactions into and out of Student Senate accounts of up to $250 before either the AFC or the Student Senate can meet All transactions of this type must be reported to the AFC at its first regular meeting following the transaction The AFC reserves the right to cancel such transactions or remove funding of equal amount from the account(s) in question Abuse of this privilege may lead the AFC to recommend that these officers be removed from their positions by the Student Senate Section 1.3 Committee Authorizations All standing committees of the Student Senate shall have their authorized expenses paid out of the Student Senate General account Such committees are required to submit their own independent budget to the AFC for approval Section Financial Limitations Section 2.1 General Limitation A single event request shall not receive funding in excess per person of the amount of a single Student Activity Fee for one academic year Section 2.2 Probationary Limitation A newly recognized student organization not receive total funds in excess of $300 during its first semester as a recognized student organization A re-recognized student organization or an organization returning to activity after two consecutive semesters of inactivity would be subject to the same probationary period The AFC can allocate additional funding to a newly recognized organization if deemed necessary for the organization’s survival by the AFC and approved by the Student Senate Section 2.3 Political Limitations Student Body funds shall not be used in direct contribution to political campaigns or political parties, for the production of campaign materials for a political party, for any other type of paid political media, or for any expense related to direct campaigning when such would advocate the election or defeat of a political candidate Section 2.5 Call Out Meeting Food Limitations It is recommended that food requests for initial student organization meetings shall not be funded in excess of $50 per meeting and must be open to the campus Requests must be accompanied by a detailed budget request that includes a breakdown of the cost, date, location of the event, and how many people are expected It is recommended that such As of August 2018 page requests shall not be funded in excess of one meeting per semester Each club will be evaluated on a case by case basis with the following criteria in mind:  Nature of Event/Environment of Event  Matches goals/aims of club Section 2.6 Meeting Food Limitations It is recommended that food requests for regular student organization meetings shall not be funded in excess of $50 per meeting Requests must be accompanied by a detailed budget request that includes a breakdown of the cost, date, location of the event, and how many people are expected Each club will be evaluated on a case by case basis with the following criteria in mind:  Nature of Event/Environment of Event History of Success/Turnout  Matches goals/aims of club Section 2.7 Food Related Event Limitations It is recommended that any food related event, including cookouts, requiring funds in excess of $300 must be open to the entire campus unless exclusivity for the event is approved by the AFC through Student Senate Further, any request for funds for a food related event in excess of $300 should be accompanied by a detailed budget request that includes a breakdown of the cost, date and location of the event, and how many people are expected Each request will be evaluated on a case by case basis with the following criteria in mind:  Nature of Event/Environment of Event History of Success/Turnout  Matches goals/aims of club Section 2.8 Office Supply Limitations It is recommended that student organizations shall not receive funds in excess of $50 for office supplies per semester without submitting a more specific request Section 2.9 Trip Request Limitations Trip requests should be budgeted with the maximum number of occupants in each hotel room and each vehicle Gas mileage should be budgeted at $0.50 per mile for both personal vehicles and college vehicles Section 2.10 Philanthropy Limitations Direct donations of Student Body funds to philanthropic causes or organizations are prohibited Section 2.11 Personal Item Limitations Student Body funds shall not be used for gifts to students, unless it is in the context of a prize giveaway in which all students are eligible for prizes Mass promotional giveaways, when such shall clearly advance the interests of the Student Body, shall be considered for funding on a case by case basis In addition, all cash prizes are subject to state/federal taxation and require a W2 form upon receipt Section 2.13 Sale of Items In the case that funds raised from the sale of items will be donated to a philanthropic cause, Student Senate funds may be loaned to cover the full cost, but will need to be repaid In the case that funds raised from the sale of items will be used for the benefit of the student organization, Student Senate funds may be loaned for up to half of the costs, but will need to be repaid Any funds exceeding the loan amount will be given to the intended recipient after processed through the Business Office; funds must be given within two weeks of the event As of August 2018 page Section 2.14 Membership Dues Limitations Student Body funds shall not be used to pay membership dues to a local, national, or parent organization when such dues are assessed on a per member basis Section 2.15 Faculty Dinner Limitation A faculty dinner is confined to the student organization and its faculty invitees only It is recommended that no faculty dinner request shall be funded in excess of $300 Section 2.16 Publication Limitation Student publications shall not be funded in excess of $2,500 per issue, per semester, with the exception of the yearbook Section 2.17 Budgetary Request Timing No additional funding shall be allocated to any event postfacto without consent from the AFC/Treasurer of the Student Senate, Student Senate, or President of the Student Body prior to the initial expenditures of those funds Section 2.18 Apparel Limitation Student Body funds shall not be used to fund apparel for individual clubs Funding for apparel for the entire student body may be allowed as determined by the Student Senate, and will not be considered inventory by the Audit and Finance Committee The Student Body of Wabash College may fund uniforms for competitive clubs as long as the following conditions are met: The uniforms must be essential for competition as determined by the Student Senate, the uniforms must not be personalized, and the uniforms will be considered inventory by the Audit and Finance Committee Section National Act Funding and Limitations Section 3.1 National Act Definition A National Act shall be defined as a large and public event targeted toward entertaining Wabash students and their guests, totaling more than $20,000 Section 3.2 National Act Automatic Allocation The AFC may allocate a total of $ 55,000 per semester to the Events Committee of the Executive Branch for the purpose of funding National Act[s] Subsection A The Events Committee may use this money to pay for one or more National Act[s] in the immediate semester, and/or may reserve a portion or all of these funds for the purpose of paying for one or more National Acts in the following semester Subsection B Should the Events Committee wish to reallocate any of these National Act specific funds for the purpose of funding a smaller event[s], it must duly obtain the permission of the Senate by a majority vote Subsection C Any requested allocation for the purpose of a National Act[s] above $55,000 per semester may be approved only by a two-thirds majority vote of the Senate Subsection D Accordingly, the Senate shall not fund more than $110,000 total for all National Act[s] in one school year – including, but not limited to, the performer(s), security costs, rental material, etc Section 3.3 National Act Revenue Any and all ticket revenue must be reverted to the General Fund of the Student Senate As of August 2018 page Section 3.4 National Act Approval Prior to any committal to a particular National Act, or any expenditure of any duly allocated funds for the purpose of any National Act, the Events Committee must first gain the approval of the Senate by a majority vote During the summer recess, the approval of the President, Treasurer, and the AFC shall serve in place of a majority Section 3.5 Other Events Committee Allocations Any and all other allocations requested by the Events Committee for the purpose of funding a smaller scale event – other than a National Act – may be granted, with all non-national Act allocations totaling no more than $20,000 in a given semester Section Executive Branch Early Allocation The Senate shall allocate $10,000 in the spring semester to the Executive Branch of Wabash College’s Student Body for the purpose of advancing the goals and mission of the Student Senate before a formal budget has been passed This money will be used at the discretion of the Executive Branch of Wabash College, as long as it does not violate any standing policy of the Student Senate Financial Policy This account will be reverted at the end of each semester Section Student Organization Accountability Section 5.1 Right of Request The AFC may require student organizations to submit a list of Senatepurchased items in possession of the club along with an account of all outside dues or funding on their initial budget as a prerequisite for authorizing any funding for the club Section 5.2 Required Inventory The AFC may order the collection of any piece of Senate-purchased property in the possession of a student organization Section 5.3 Self-Reporting The AFC may require student organizations to submit a detailed list of their purchases at the end of each semester as a prerequisite for authorizing future funding for that student organization Section 5.4 Reversion Dates The AFC will also ask for Estimated Date of Use for all allocated items in any given semester If they choose, the AFC may revert the money that hasn’t been used for “Estimated Date of Use” before the Fridays of Fall Break and Spring Break of the Fall Semester Budget and Spring Semester Budget respectively Additionally if the original date of use passes, the club may use that money on a new date within the same semester it was allocated In the event that funds are reverted, the club may request to have those funds restored by the AFC Section Student Activity Fees Section 6.1 Obligation The AFC is obligated to recommend the rate of each academic year’s Student Activity Fees to the Student Senate The AFC shall so prior to the first meeting of the Student Senate in April As of August 2018 page Section 6.2 Review The Student Senate Treasurer shall meet with the Dean of Students and officers of the college Business Office prior to the Student Activity Fee review meeting of the AFC Following the review meeting, the AFC shall recommend to the Student Senate a rate at which to set the Student Activity Fee for the following year Section Publication of Budget The Audit and Finance Committee shall make the budget publicly available for review to all students and club officers after the initial allocations of the Student Senate Budget have been proposed by the AFC and at least twenty-four hours before the beginning of the Student Senate meeting in which those would be approved Section Suspension of Policies Specific financial policies of the Student Senate may be suspended with regard to a specific motion by a unanimous vote of the AFC in committee, or by a two-thirds majority vote of the Student Senate at any regular Senate meeting, if circumstances so warrant Section Overspending and Misspending of Senate Funds Section 9.1 Penalties Incurred Any club or organization that is eligible for Student Senate funding that (1) spends more money than was allocated by the AFC or (2) spends money under the total amount allocated but uses funds for any item or event other than that which money was allocated for shall be subject to any or all of the following penalties at the discretion of the AFC by unanimous vote OR by two-thirds majority vote of the Student Senate of Wabash College: Subsection A Any offending club shall have two (2) weeks to return funds in the amount that was overspent or misspent before having their entire semester budget rescinded by the AFC The offending club shall also be placed on probation, with one (1) more offense resulting in a one (1) calendar year penalty preventing funding from be allocated to said club by the AFC Subsection B The President and Treasurer of the offending club, along with any other member who has access to the P-Card shall be responsible for any funds that are overspent or misspent Subsection C Any offending club shall be subject to penalty resulting in probationary status for funding semester following the offense by unanimous vote of the AFC and the CBPR Probationary status would result in a limit of $300 to be allocated for the semester AND would refer to the latter half of penalty one (1), which reads that one (1) more offense would result in a one (1) calendar year penalty preventing funding If a probationary semester is completed without offense, said club would be removed from probation and the next offense would count as the first offense Subsection D Any offending club shall be subject to a limit, in the following semester, of 50% of their budget from the offending semester (EX: A budget of $5000 in semester A with an offense would limit the semester B budget to $2500.) As of August 2018 page Subsection E Any offending club shall have their P-Card privileges revoked and shall be required to file purchase orders in order to use Senate funding Subsection F Any offending club shall be subject to an audit at any time in the calendar year following the offense at the discretion of the Student Body Treasurer and the AFC Subsection G Any offending club shall be required to testify to the Student Senate AND the AFC on the Tuesday immediately following the discovery and notification of the offense Any club that fails to attend both meetings and testify shall be subject to having their semester funds rescinded and a one (1) calendar year penalty preventing funding Subsection H If a club overspends their allocated balance for the semester, the following restrictions will be enforced the next semester irrespective of variance in Fall to Spring semester allocations: a The following semester’s allocation request will be limited to the violated semester’s allocation minus the percentage said club overspent from the violated semester’s allocation b (Example: Offending Semester Allocation: $1,000 Amount Overspent: $100 Percentage of total: 10% Following Semester Allocation Request may be no more than $900) c If the violating club is inactive in following semesters, this policy will be enforced when the club decides to become active within the General Senate Fund again d The violating club will be required to use the check reimbursement system for the first P-card reconciliation period Subsection I: Any offending club that is found not to have inappropriately handled funds, overspent, or misspent shall receive no punishments and shall have all fiscal rights reinstated Subsection J : Clubs may use Senate funds at events where their faculty advisor is present upon consent and knowledge of the AFC Trips are excluded from this subsection Section 10 Inventory Policy of the Student Senate Section 10.1 An article of inventory shall be defined as any item or piece of equipment which has gone unused, can be reused, or purchased using student activity funding for the usage by one or more clubs Section 10.2 Examples include, but are not limited to, board games, jerseys, decorations, books, and other items purchased with Senate funding Items which meet the standards set out above must be classified as inventory on club budget requests Section 10.3 The AFC reserves the right to make a further determination as to an item’s status as inventory regardless of initial classification As of August 2018 page Section 11 Check-in Process Section 11.1 At the end of each semester, ALL clubs will be required to store their inventory in a common storage space determined by the AFC Section 11.2 Clubs will be responsible for turning in ALL inventory at a date and time specified by the AFC Failure to turn in inventory may result in financial penalization Section 11.3 Check-in of club inventory will take place sometime during a given semester’s dead week The day and time shall be determined on a semesterly basis by the AFC Section 11.4 At or before check-in, clubs will be required to fill out an Inventory Storage Form detailing ALL items of inventory that club is turning in Failure to fill out the proper form may result in financial penalization Section 11.5 Condition of inventory will be documented during the check-in process and the Student Senate shall be liable for all damage done during any semester break Section 12 Checkout Process Section 12.1 Clubs will request inventory items to be lent out for the duration of the semester as part of their budget request Clubs may only request items previously purchased for that club Section 12.2 If unclaimed inventory exists, any club may petition the AFC to use the unclaimed inventory Section 12.3 Checkout of club inventory will take place sometime within a week of publication of the Student Senate budget The day and time shall be determined on a semesterly basis by the AFC Section 13 Failure to Turn In Inventory Section 13.1 Should an item of inventory fail to be turned in by a club, the club will be presented with the option of raising the funds to replace the item by the final day of finals week of that given semester Section 13.2 Should the club fail to raise the funds in the allotted time, the AFC or Student Senate may punish the club in one or more of the following ways: Have their P-Card privileges revoked and shall be required to file purchase orders in order to use Senate funding Funding reduced by the value of the item lost for the following semester Funding suspended for a period of at least one but not more than four semesters Section 13.3 Any or all of the aforementioned punishments may be invoked by a unanimous vote of the AFC OR a two-thirds vote of the Student Senate Clubs will be accorded the opportunity to provide testimony before either vote Should the two bodies differ in the choice of penalty to hand down, the decision of the Student Senate shall supersede the decision of the AFC As of August 2018 page