SAC: Groups can reapply for funds

Student organizations that did not receive sufficient funding at last Monday's Student Activities Council meeting can now apply for money from the group's $43,000 contingency fund. The fund, which is made up of money left over from each year's budgeting process, can be used to pay for projects that may come up in the course of the year. As a result of this semester's first general meeting, several groups' funding requests were denied by the SAC Finance Committee. The Bicultural InterGreek Council is one of the organizations from which SAC cut a substantial amount of funding. Although SAC said it would not pay for two step shows this year, Big-C officials said the body's decision will not deter their plans. Big-C Treasurer Angel Rowley said yesterday that the group of black and Latino fraternities and sororities has not yet decided which course of action to take for the rest of the needed funding. Big-C events that still need funding include the "Paving Our Way Summit," a conference that would bring together Greek members from three states, and a second step show in the spring initially sponsored by the Delta Sigma Theta sorority. "What we're concerned with right now is the step show on Oct. 7," Rowley said. The Wharton senior explained that the upcoming step-show is funded by SAC. The proceeds from this event now will help fund both the spring show and the Summit. College sophomore David Shapiro, a member of the SAC Finance Committee, said Big-C's funding request was denied because of longstanding SAC Finance guidelines. These guidelines prohibit using money for food and unnecessary conferences. He added that the reason the body did not give the Big-C money for the second step-show is because the group had enough money in their original budget to cover the event. Big-C can now apply to SAC's contingency fund by first preparing a budget listing specific items and their corresponding costs, explained SAC Finance Committee member Paige Oliver. The ultimate decision lies in the SAC body, though, which can overrule Finance Committee decisions. Oliver, a College sophomore, said one reason SAC decided not to fund the second step show was to avoid setting a precedent for funding two step-shows every year. SAC Finance Committee member and UA Treasurer Sabrina Gottlieb said the Paving the Way Summit did not receive money because it is against SAC guidelines to fund conferences unless they are an integral part of sustaining the organization's members. "The Big-C wants us to fund conferences -- we don't fund conferences," she said. Gottlieb said, however, that if the SAC representative body had wanted to overrule the Committee's decision, it could have voted to do so. Representatives from the Black Student League, whose budget request was cut in half by SAC, were not available for comment last night.