It is officially that time for all registered clubs, organizations, and university departments to submit their annual budget applications to the Florida A&M University Student Government Association for the 2016-2017 fiscal year. Jan. 19 is the deadline.
Many FAMU students did not know what the Annual Budget Online Application was and how much was in the Senate budget. What is the Organization and Finance Committee (OFC)? What is the Annual Budget Student Select Committee? Who benefits from the submission of the applications? What is the selection process of receiving funds? When is the fiscal year?
Wesley Cammon, a third-year FAMU biomedical engineering student, had a general idea of what the Annual Budget Student Select Committee (ASBC) and the Organization and Finance Committee (OFC) are and what they do.
“I believe the ASBC and the OFC are committees that handle the student budget, but I am not certain of what it entails,” Cammon said.
According to Article IX, Section 1. B., the OFC is the committee within the student senate that allocates Activities and Service (A&S) funds through appropriation bills. Theses funds are submitted into the fiscal year budget. The fiscal year begins July 1 and ends June 30.
Jernice Woodberry is a senior senator and chairperson of the OFC Committee and the Annual Student Select Budget Committee (ASBC). She oversees the committee, calls meetings and is one of the sole custodians of the Activities and Service (A&S) funds.
Sophomore senator Brandon Johnson is also a part of SGA and is the Vice Chair of the OFC Committee, he said that submitting the application gives organizations a chance to receive funds.
“It is important to complete the online application because it reserves your spot to come before the committee to receive funding for your organization or department,” Johnson said.
According to the Student Body Statutes, under Title IV, Chapter 700, section 706.7, subsection C, the annual budget application is the application departments and organizations must complete to be considered for the annual budget for the next fiscal year. Anyone who is granted funding in the annual budget benefits from it.
Victor Chrispin, a senior senator in SGA, holds various positions within the senate. He is the chair of the Student Relations Committee, a member of the Senate Executive Committee and a member of the ASBC.
The ASBC committee interviews organizations to see if the budget request is feasible and aligns with the allotted amount within the annual budget. People who benefit from this application are large and small student organizations or university departments. The departments and organizations range from SGA, law organizations and the Office of Student Activities.
“This year we made some changes to the application to make it easier to understand. We were having problems with the application last year and we have updated our system for a more efficient process,” Woodberry said.
This initiative is to help all clubs, organizations and university departments receive financial help with anything that they may have planned for the upcoming fiscal year. All clubs, organizations and university departments may visit https://sga.famu.edu to download and complete their forms.