Fund descriptions
In accordance with the VSA Bylaws, the VSA Council may establish Funds for specific purposes. The amount allocated to each Fund shall be determined during the spring budgeting process.
During every budgeting process, the VSA allocates a discrete amount of money into various special funds. Many of these funds are available to organizations, groups, and individual VSA members, pending the approval of an application. The VSA Council votes on whether to approve most fund applications, and many of the funds are reviewed by a committee prior to appearing before Council. Such funding has been applied in a vast array of ways: bringing prominent speakers to campus, financing the production of a literary magazine, sending an organization to a conference, and so on.
All VSA fund applications MUST be submitted to the VSA Treasurer at least two weeks (14 days) prior to the event/publication in question. (The Hosting Fund requires 30 days prior notice.) If you do not have full information on the event, you must at least contact the VSA Treasurer about the event/publication before this deadline.
Collaboration | Hosting | Media Publishing | Social Programming | Political Action
Collaboration Fund
Description:
This fund is used to sponsor any event for which three (3) organizations jointly apply ( only one “primary” organization needs to submit and application). The collaboration must be substantive, determined at the discretion of VSA Council.
Applicants:
VSA organizations
Stipulations:
- Money from this fund can cover up to 75% of the costs the first time a specific set of groups apply, and up to 25% for subsequent applications.
- Please note that a group may apply to the fund a maximum of THREE times per academic year.
Hosting Fund
Description
A sort of compliment to the Conference Fund, the Hosting Fund may be used to sponsor a non-annual, on-campus conference that off-campus individuals & groups may attend. This fund is not designed to give long-term support to regular conferences, but rather to help new conferences get started or, to a lesser extent, support semi-regular conference events.
Applicants
VSA organizations
Stipulations
- This fund may not be used to sponsor competitive events, tournaments, or conferences for which participants receive academic credit.
- Organizations may not apply to this fund in two consecutive years for the same conference.
- This fund can cover up to 50% of total costs, excluding food.
- All applications to this fund are due at least 30 days prior to the conference.
Media Publishing Fund
Description
The Media Publishing fund helps to support media projects, including (but not limited to) magazines, newsletters, CD-ROMs, newspapers, and websites. There are a large array of potential applications for this fund; it can help a literary magazine get started, fund a photography exhibit, sponsor a multimedia CD-ROM production, and so on.
Applicants
VSA organizations, individual VSA members
Stipulations
- Authorized organizations whose primary purpose is to publish may not apply to this fund.
- Recognized (not authorized) organizations whose primary purpose is to publish may apply to this fund, but only for two semesters (not necessarily consecutive).
- No project can apply to this fund for more than two consecutive semesters.
- This fund can cover up to 65% of total event costs for organizations, and 75% of event costs for individuals.
- This fund can cover up to 50% of total publication costs for recognized (but not authorized) organizations.
Social Programming Fund
Description
This fund is designed to sponsor on-campus events with social or political messages or themes not found in a typical event.
Applicants
VSA organizations, individual VSA members
Stipulations
- This fund can cover up to 65% of total costs for organizations, and 75% of total costs for individuals.
Political Action Fund
Description
The Political Action Fund is designed to allow organizations and individuals to attend political activities that take place off campus. Political activities like rallies, demonstrations and protests have proven to be a valuable form of educational experience outside of the classroom. As such, this fund is designed to encourage off-campus political engagement by students, in the hopes of enriching students educational experience as well as giving students the tools they need to effect change in our society. Once the attending group returns from the event, they are expected to report on their experience so that their experiences may enrich the rest of the campus.
Applicants
VSA organizations, individual VSA members
Stipulations
- Organizations may only receive monies from this fund a maximum of three (3) times per academic year.
- The fund will cover up to 75% of the cost of the event, up to $450.
- Upon returning from the conference, the organization receiving funds must report to the VSA Council on the conference (within 3 weeks of returning).
- This fund can cover fees relating to accomodations, registration, transportation, and any supplies specifically related to the event (i.e. posters, markers, copies, brochures, etc…)
- Transportation must be by ground, unless alternative travel is demonstratably less expensive.
- The fund may not be applied to retroactively, but the fund may be applied to less than 14 days prior to an event where unanticipated circumstances arise that require quick action.