The lone student organization in Penn's Way held an information meeting Monday evening in Houston Hall in order to begin coordinating its plans for allocating money to community service projects. "I'm really excited about this program kicking off because it makes a statement to the Penn campus concerning community involvement," said president Phong Nguyen, a Wharton junior. "ACCESS helps to open up the doors for a lot of things that couldn't have happened before." The Active Community Coalition Efforts Sponsored by Students was incorporated in 1992 to fund groups that are unable to find money from other channels, according to College senior Kathleen Sullivan, former ACCESS president. "There are many creative projects coming out of Penn students and much frustration in terms of seeking funding, especially with projects that push for change," Sullivan said. "I want those projects to get funded because I don't want to live in a society that is accepting. "The idea started as a frustration within the Penn Volunteer Network, an umbrella organization of ones on campus," Sullivan said. "We acknowledged that the umbrella organization wasn't covering all of the activities going on at Penn so we sent a proposal to Sheldon Hackney." Nguyen said that next year ACCESS also hopes to raise money on its own, in addition to the funding they receive from Penn's Way. Applications for funding are available at the ACCESS office in the Christian Association.
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