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Bylaws of the Joint Funding Committee

  1. Purpose
  2. Administration
  3. Funding Eligibility
  4. Allocations
  5. Appeals Processes
  6. Information and Time Considerations
  7. Override & Amendment

Article I - Purpose

The purpose of these bylaws is to set the processes by which funding eligibility is granted and funds are allocated through the Joint Funding Committee.

Article II – Administration

  1. When there is any contradiction between these rules and the Constitution of the Student Body, the Constitution shall supersede these rules.
  2. When there is any contradiction between these rules and the Bylaws of the Student Senate or the Graduate Student Assembly, the Bylaws of the Joint Funding Committee shall supersede those rules.
  3. Formation of the Joint Funding Committee
    1. The Joint Funding Committee will be established every semester.
    2. The Student Body Vice President for Finance shall convene the Joint Funding Committee within ten school days after the approval of the Undergraduate and Graduate delegations by their respective legislative bodies.
    3. The Student Body Vice President for Finance shall serve as the Chair Pro Tempore of the Joint Funding Committee until a Chair is elected.
    4. The Election of the Chair must be within three meetings of the Joint Funding Committee of the semester, and shall be set by the Student Body Vice President for Finance at the first meeting of the Joint Funding Committee.
    5. A majority vote of the Joint Funding Committee is needed to elect a Chair.
    6. The Chair of the Joint Funding Committee may appoint a vice chair with the confirmation of the Joint Funding Committee.
  4. Upon approval by a majority of the Joint Funding Committee, a paid secretary may handle all of the paperwork for the Joint Funding Committee.
  5. The Joint Funding Committee shall have the ability to access records related to an organization’s funding eligibility or budget request from the Student Senate, the Graduate Student Assembly, and the Committee on Student Organizations.

Article III – Funding Eligibility

  1. Student Senate and the Graduate Student Assembly jointly possess the authority to grant funding eligibility to Student Government-recognized organizations, as specified by Article V, Section II, Paragraph D of the Constitution of the Student Body.
  2. The funding eligibility process shall happen yearly and only in the Fall semester. Funding eligibility status is granted immediately upon approval of the Student Senate and the Graduate Student Assembly.
  3. Eligibility Requirements
    1. To become eligible, an organization must present a petition to the Chair of the Joint Funding Committee containing the following information:
      1. The organization’s bylaws, which state the duties of the organization’s officers, the procedure for selection of those officers, and the rules by which the organization will conduct its business.
      2. List of at least two (2) officers and their mailing addresses (postal and electronic), and phone numbers.
      3. Demonstration of significant interest in the group, as indicated by a founding membership of not less than ten (10) persons.
      4. A specific mission or special interest that is not adequately addressed by an existing campus club.
      5. A statement or plan that includes a set of goals related to its mission or special interest.
      6. Name of advisor (if any)
      7. Authorized signatures for accounts
      8. Supplement sources of funds (if any)
    2. If any of the information provided to the Joint Funding Committee per Article III, Section C, Paragraph 1 above change, the organization must immediately supply the Chair of the Joint Funding Committee with the change.
    3. No organization may receive funding eligibility unless it has been a recognized group by the end of the preceding spring semester.
  4. Renewing Eligibility
    1. Groups must request for a renewal of funding eligibility every fall for the upcoming spring budgeting process.
    2. A renewal request will be considered approved, unless the Joint Funding Committee votes to deny the request. The Joint Funding Committee has the authority to and should deny the renewal of funding eligibility status of groups that do not work toward their purpose.
    3. The requirements for a renewal request are the following information:
      1. Updated copies of the information required for eligibility, as listed above in Article III, Section C, Paragraph 1.
      2. The organization’s re-recognition report, as required by the Committee on Student Organizations.
    4. Voting
      1. A two-thirds vote of the Joint Funding Committee is required to approve a recommendation of funding eligibility status for an organization, or to recommend the denial of renewal.

Article IV – Allocations

  1. Student Senate and the Graduate Student Assembly jointly possess the authority to allocate funds from the undesignated portions of the Undergraduate Activities Fee and Graduate Activities Fee, as specified by Article V of the Constitution, for use by student organizations.
  2. The Budgeting process shall occur yearly and only in the Spring semester for budgets for the next academic year once approved by the Student Senate and the Graduate Student Assembly.
  3. Budgeting Restrictions
    1. Funds may not be used to subsidize the following categories, with the exception that a recommendation for subsidizing these categories requires a two-thirds vote of both the Student Senate and the Graduate Student Assembly:
      1. Student Salaries
      2. Alcohol
    2. Funds may be recommended in the following categories only with the approval of three-fourths (3/4) vote of the Joint Funding Committee:
      1. Transportation
      2. Travel expenses
      3. Outside-organization membership dues
      4. Taxes
      5. Coaching expenses
      6. Management and consulting fees
      7. Subscriptions
      8. Food and non-alcoholic beverages
      9. Leasing of off-campus facilities.
    3. The above-mentioned categories may also be financed by supplementary income
    4. All groups may be required to finance a portion of their budgets by supplementary income.
    5. All of an organization's events which are financed by the Activities Fee must be germane to the primary purpose of the group.
    6. Uniforms
      1. Student Government will consider subsidizing up to twenty-five (25) percent of the cost of uniforms per person.
      2. The Joint Funding Committee may allow subsidies greater than twenty-five (25) percent of the cost of uniforms per person with a three-fourths (3/4) vote.
      3. Uniforms will be subsidized no more than once every three (3) years.
      4. Student Government will not subsidize personal equipment, which is defined as equipment or clothing which will not be available for use by subsequent club members (mouthpieces, socks, etc.).
    7. Buggy
      1. Student Government will consider subsidizing up to twenty-five (25) percent of the costs of a buggy program for a student organization.
      2. The Joint Funding Committee can extend funds to groups that do not have funding eligibility for the purpose of a buggy program. These funds must follow the same formula above in Article IV, Section C, Paragraph 7, Subparagraph a.
      3. The Joint Funding Committee shall have the power to set a cap for the subsidy of buggy programs for organizations without funding eligibility. If the Joint Funding Committee does not announce a cap by the deadline for budget submission, the cap shall be the equivalent of that used for the previous year.
    8. Booth
      1. Student Government will consider subsidizing up to fifty (50) percent of the costs of a booth program for a student organization.
      2. The Joint Funding Committee can extend funds to groups that do not have funding eligibility for the purpose of a booth program. These funds must follow the same formula above in Article IV, Section C, Paragraph 8, Subparagraph a.
      3. The Joint Funding Committee shall have the power to set a cap for the subsidy of buggy programs for organizations without funding eligibility. If the Joint Funding Committee does not announce a cap by the deadline for budget submission, the cap shall be the equivalent of that used for the previous year.
    9. The Joint Funding Committee will submit to the Student Senate and the Graduate Student Assembly, with the budget, a line-item list of all expenditures that were approved as uses of an organization's subsidy by a three-fourths (3/4) vote, as specified in Article V, Section V, Subsection C, in Paragraph 2 and Paragraph 6, Subparagraph b.
  4. Funding of Events
    1. Events which donate any portion of their proceeds to charity will not be funded.
    2. Events which are discriminatory will not be funded.
    3. Events which are academic, political, and/or religious in nature will not be funded.
      1. Political events are defined as events whose primary aim are the support of, or opposition to, a particular party, candidate, statute, judicial decision, or armed conflict.
  5. At the end of the fiscal year, each organization shall return to the Master Activities Fee account the amount of its surplus. The amount returned shall not exceed the amount of the organization's Student Government subsidy. The Joint Funding Committee reserves the right to remove the excess funds of an organization if the committee deems it necessary. The excess amount which can be removed shall not exceed the Student Government subsidy.
  6. All organization business managers are required to do the bookkeeping for their organizations using the accounting categories of their approved budgets.
  7. Expenditures submitted for payment after the close of the fiscal year will be paid out of current fiscal year funds. This does not apply to purchases made prior to the close of the fiscal year but not invoiced until after the close of the fiscal year.
  8. Spring Carnival and Sweepstakes will automatically be allocated twenty-five (25) percent of their previous year's allocation upon submission of a completed budget packet, unless that group is affected by Article V, Section V, Subsection H of the Student Body Constitution.
  9. A member of a funded organization who does not pay the Activities Fee must pay into the organization an amount equal to the average contribution to the organization of a student who does pay the Activities Fee. This amount is in addition to any dues levied by the organization. If more than five (5) percent of an organization does not pay the Activities Fee, said organization is required to submit a list of the non-Activities Fee- paying members, including its additional contributions, to the Joint Funding Committee when its budget is being considered.
  10. The Joint Funding Committee has the right to reevaluate any budget that has not been approved by Student Senate and the Graduate Student Assembly, and also the right to enact retroactive across-the-board cuts to all organizations and funded activities if deemed necessary, pending the approval of Student Senate and the Graduate Student Assembly.
  11. Organizations not previously funded
    1. New organizations, or organizations not previously receiving funds will not be funded in excess of $500.
    2. Organizations not previously funded are those that:
      1. Are new to the Carnegie Mellon campus.
      2. Have been recognized and have received funding eligibility for the first time in the past semester.
      3. Have funded eligibility but did not participate in the budgeting process in the previous year
  12. All organizations or funded activities have the option of withdrawing from the budget allocation process by informing the Joint Funding Committee.

Article V – Appeals Processes

  1. After the Joint Funding Committee votes to approve eligibility or budgets, they must be disseminated to the representatives of the organizations and activities which requested eligibility or funds, with a minimum of one week’s notice before appeals deadline.
    1. Organizations and activities which requested eligibility or funds wishing to file an appeal must submit formal notice of appeal to the JFC chair within 24 hours of the scheduled appeals meeting.
    2. Notice of the appeals deadline and the scheduled days and times for appeals hearings must be posted to cmu.student.government, cmu.student.government.organizations, and assocs.gsa bulletin boards and sent to contacts for all organizations.
  2. Two representatives of each appealing organization may speak at the appeals meeting. Other concerned parties may submit information in writing to be passed on to the committee.
  3. The Joint Funding Committee may vote to accept all or part of a budget appeal.

Article VI – Information and Time Considerations

  1. Information and Time Considerations for Eligibility
    1. All organizations approved by the Joint Funding Committee for funding eligibility will receive their funding eligibility status upon approval by the Student Senate and the Graduate Student Assembly, and will be subject to renewal and probation, if necessary.
      1. The Chair of the Joint Funding Committee will schedule at least two (2) information sessions by the end of the second full month of the fall semester to explain the eligibility process and hand out the eligibility information packets.
      2. All organizations that wish to receive or renew funding eligibility status must be represented by their appropriate officers at one of these sessions.
    2. The organization is required to submit the information requested in Article III, Sections C and D, and organizational survey forms by the time specified in the information packet.
    3. Scheduling for appeal hearings will be done on a first-come, first-served basis for organizations who have submitted their information by the specified deadline.
    4. The Joint Funding Committee is responsible for publicizing all of the deadlines specified above to all organizations that are recognized by Student Government.
    5. At the end of the committee and appeals hearings, all organizations requesting or renewing funding eligibility will be listed in Student Government-recognized news sources with their status as recommended by the Joint Funding Committee and the date for the joint Student Senate/Graduate Student Assembly hearing of the eligibility requests.
    6. At the joint hearing, any students with opinions of the eligibility process should explain their views to Student Senate and the Graduate Student Assembly.
  2. Information and Time Considerations for Allocations
    1. All organizations recognized as funding eligible will be subsidized by the Student Activities Fee between the first July 1 following the date that the Student Senate and GSA approve their budget and the following June 30.
      1. The Chair of the Joint Funding Committee will schedule at least two (2) information sessions within the first month of the spring semester to explain the budget process and hand out the budget information packets.
      2. All organizations that wish to receive a subsidy recommendation with the Joint Funding Committee must be represented by their appropriate officers at one of these sessions
    2. The organization is required to submit the completed allocation request form, inventory forms, and organizational survey forms by the time specified in the budget packet.
    3. Scheduling for appeal hearings will be done on a first-come, first-served basis for organizations who have submitted their budgets by the specified deadline.
    4. The Joint Funding Committee is responsible for publicizing all of the deadlines specified above to all organizations that have funding eligibility.
    5. The Joint Funding Committee is responsible for publicizing all deadlines involving receiving subsidies for booth and buggy for all Student Government-recognized organizations that do not have funding eligibility and University-recognized student-only organizations.
    6. At the end of the committee budget and appeals hearings, all organizations requesting subsidies from the Student Activities Fee will be listed in Student Government-recognized news sources along with the subsidies recommended by the Joint Funding Committee and the date for the joint Student Senate/Graduate Student Assembly hearing of the budgets.
    7. At the joint budget hearing, any students with opinions of the budgeting process should explain their views to Student Senate and the Graduate Student Assembly.

Article VII – Override & Amendment

  1. Override
    1. The Joint Funding Committee may request that these bylaws be overridden. A three-fourths vote of the Joint Funding Committee is required for this request.
    2. The Joint Funding Committee must give the Student Senate and the Graduate Student Assembly one week’s notice of the request before both bodies can vote on this request.
    3. A two-thirds vote of both the Student Senate and the Graduate Student Assembly is required to approve the override.
  2. Amendment
    1. Proposed amendments to these bylaws must be submitted in writing to the Student Senate and the Graduate Student Assembly at a regular meeting of each body. The amendments will be placed on the agenda of the next regular meeting of each body.
    2. The Joint Funding Committee must give a recommendation as to the approval of proposed amendments to these bylaws before the next regular meeting of each body.
    3. A two-thirds vote of both the Student Senate and the Graduate Student Assembly is required to approve the proposed amendments.

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