After 35 hours of discussions and debate this past weekend, the Student Activities Council is increasing its funding for student groups.
For the first time since 2000, SAC has updated its funding policies and guidelines in time for its annual budget allocations process for the 2008-2009 school year.
SAC received about $800,000 in funding from the Undergraduate Assembly for the upcoming school year, a 7-percent increase from last year, and is responsible for distributing the money to 220 student groups on campus.
Over the past few months, SAC has worked with various groups to rehash existing guidelines on funding "in order to reflect costs more in line with the current climate for student groups," said College junior and SAC chair Eric Van Nostrand.
"Many of the guidelines contain numerical caps that have since been rendered arbitrary by inflation, which is extremely unfair to groups," said Van Nostrand.
He listed gas and ink costs as the two biggest price hikes that have affected student groups. In response, SAC has raised funding for travel expenses for groups from 50 to 60 percent and has increased funding for publications from $4,200 to $5,040.
"When you're dealing with upwards of thousands of dollars, it's lessening the burden a lot," said junior Jared Lubin, vice president of Penn Mock Trial. With the extra funding, the team plans to consider attending additional tournaments that it has not in the past due to high travel expenses.
Performing Arts Council groups are among those that will benefit from increased funding for costumes and programs - two caps that have been doubled.
"It makes it easier on each group that they don't have to have as many out-of-pocket costs," said Engineering senior James Wong, outgoing financial coordinator for PAC.
Wong added that among the groups to receive additional funding will be cultural groups, whose expenses have increased significantly due to the fact that many import costumes from overseas.
Other major changes include a raise in the academic-speaker cap from $100 to $400 for 'little guy' speakers of interest to smaller academic and pre-professional groups than those usually funded by SPEC and Wharton Council, according to Van Nostrand.
