University of Virginia Library

Guidelines for Student Activities Fund Allocation

The following resolution was adopted:

• RESOLVED by The Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia that the Student Activities Committee shall be charged with the authority and responsibility, under the President, for supervision of the Student Activities Fund which is made up of student activities fees. With respect to allocation from the Fund, unless otherwise directed by the President, the procedures shall be as follows: (1) the Committee shall review budgets submitted by The Cavalier Daily and approve allocations thereto; (2) the budgets of all other organizations will be reviewed by Student Council which will allocate funds from student activities fees to the organizations.
• Funds may be allocated by Student Council to recognized student organizations in the following categories, The Rector and Visitors having determined that activities in these categories are related to the educational purpose of the University;
• (1) student governments and councils;
• (2) departmental, academic, and curricular activities;
• (3) club sports;
• (4) curricularly-oriented publications;
• (5) the student radio stations;
• (6) fine arts activities
• (7) the University designated coordinating agency for student volunteer service activities;
• (8) student clinical training programs
• (9) hobby organizations; and
• (10) non-partisan groups whose predominant purpose is to present speakers on a non-partisan basis to speak on topics of probable general interest to the University.
• No monies from these funds shall be given for:
• (1) honoraria or similar fees;
• (2) for religious activities or activities sponsored by religious organizations;
• (3) for social entertainment or for organizations whose activities are substantially social;
• (4) the admission to the organization may not be restricted by reason of race, religion, national origin, sex (except for competitive athletics), or political affiliation. In determining such discrimination, it is not sufficient to look merely to the constitution of such an organization but to consider also its actual practices and operations;
• (5) for activities which would jeopardize the University's status under Section 501 (3) (c) of The Internal Revenue Code.
• (6) for political activities or activities sponsored by political organizations. Political activities are, in general, those normally engaged in by political parties or special interest groups, such as electioneering or lobbying. Electioneering shall include the broad range of those activities incidental to the promotion of partisan political ideas or programs and their representatives. Lobbying shall include any activity whose purpose is to procure or prevent, the acceptance of any social, economic or political theory as an operating principle of polity. This shall not include engaging in non-partisan analyses, study, or research or making those results available to the public. A public interest organization will not fail to meet the test merely because it advocates, as an insubstantial part of its activity, the adoption of rejection of legislation.
• The ceiling on the aggregate amount allocated to all such organizations will be the then current total student activities fees less the amount approved by the Student Activities Committee for The Cavalier Daily. Each organization whose budget is reviewed by the Student Council will have a right of appeal to the Student Activities Committee. Any student or student group may also appeal to Student Council and to the Student Activities Committee. If no appeal is taken, a Student Council officer will draw a check on the Student Activities Fund for the amount specified by Council payable to the organization receiving the allocation. The Student Activities Committee shall examine on its own motion any budgets that may be approved by the Student Council for organizations deemed by the Committee to be within the categories noted above.
• This resolution shall apply to decisions made for fund allocations after September 1, 1973.