Board of Visitors minutes :: February 05, 2004 :: University of Virginia Library

RESOLVED that with respect to the purpose of an allocation from the Fund, unless otherwise directed by the President, the procedure shall be as follows:

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

The purpose of the student activity fee is to provide financial support for student organizations that are related to the educational purpose of the University of Virginia. As a required student fee the monies collected by the University for funding student activities are public funds which must be administered in a manner consistent with the educational purpose of the University as well as with state and federal law.

STUDENT ACTIVITIES ELIGIBLE FOR FUNDING

The Rector and Visitors of the University have determined that activities of the student organizations in the following categories relate to the educational environment or purposes of the University and are thus eligible for funding.

1. Special Status Student Organizations charged by the Board of Visitors
2. co-curricular organizations which are not administered by University departments or units;
3. club sports:
4. student news, information, opinion, entertainment or academic communications media groups;
5. cultural organizations;
6. fine arts organizations;
7. Madison House;
8. hobby organizations;
9. groups whose predominate purpose is to present speakers on topics of general interest to the University;
10. the Student Legal Service,
11. service organizations;
12. political organizations; and
13. religious organizations

STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS NOT ELIGIBLE FOR FUNDING

The Board of Visitors has determined that fraternities, sororities, honor societies, and special status student organizations not charged by the Board of Visitors are ineligible for funds from the student activities fees. An organization is also ineligible when admission is exclusionary in nature and not open to all students or if membership is restricted by reason of race, religion, disability, national origin, political affiliation, or gender. Notwithstanding these requirements, a student organization may restrict membership based on ability to perform the activities related to the organization's purpose. In determining cases of discrimination, it is not sufficient to look merely to the constitution of an organization but to its actual practices and operations.

STUDENT EXPENDITURES AND ACTIVITIES NOT ELIGIBLE FOR FUNDING

The Board of Visitors has further determined that the following expenditures and activities do not relate to the educational purpose of the University and thus are not eligible for funding:

1. honoraria or similar fees for events that are not open to the University community;
2. religious activities;
3. social entertainment or related expenses;
4. philanthropic contributions and activities;
5. political activities;
6. activities which would jeopardize the University's tax exempt status.

FUND ALLOCATION AND APPEAL PROCEDURES/PROCESS:

The Student Activities Committee chaired by the designee of the Vice President for Student Affairs is charged with the authority and responsibility for supervision of the student activities fee fund. With respect to distributions from the fund, Student Council is responsible for allocations to eligible student organizations. The ceiling on the aggregate amount allocated to all such organizations shall be the current balance in the student activities fees fund. The allocation process follows procedures established by Student Council which are intended to maximize the use of the funds and are consistent with the above guidelines. The Student Council Appropriations Committee is responsible for following these procedures and making the recommendations to the Student Council Representative Body on the funding requests. In providing student organizations with appropriations deemed needed, the Student Council Appropriations Committee shall be further guided by such criteria as the size of the group, the University wide benefit of the group's activities, and the group's level of financial self-sufficiency. The committee is encouraged but is not required to appropriate all of the available

fund balance. The Appropriations Committee recommended allocation to a student organization may be appealed to the Student Council Representative Body by any student or student organization. The Student Activities Committee is the next and final appeal for any budget reviewed and, in some cases, adjusted by the Student Council Representative Body. In addition, the Student Activities Committee may examine on its own motion any student organization's allocation request submitted to the Student Council. After the allocations are finalized, the Student Council Vice President for Student Organizations writes the chair of the Student Activities Committee requesting that the allocations for those funded organizations be released to the Student Activities Business Manager. When the Student Activities Business Manager receives the funds, they are deposited into a demand deposit account. Expenditures from the allocations can be made provided the student organization completes the proper authorization forms with the Student Activities Business Manager. The student organizations receive their allocation on a per semester basis for payment of expenses of activities conducted during the, fall and spring semesters only. Any funded student organization alleged to be in violation of the above guidelines is subject to the suspension or loss of student activity fee funding after notice and an opportunity to be heard by Student Council. The Student Activities Committee is the next and final appeal body.

DEFINITIONS OF TERMS

These definitions of terms are intended to provide clarification of the student activity fee fund guidelines. In those cases where further clarification is needed, Student Council and, if necessary, the Student Activities Committee will interpret the guidelines based on the facts presented and the Board of Visitors intent for the student activity fee.

Ability to Perform - a student organization may restrict membership based on ability to perform the activities related to the organization's purpose. For example, a student publication may make requirements based on writing skills. A club sport may restrict membership where selection is based on competitive skill or the activity involved is a contact sport thus resulting in a team of one or predominately one gender. Likewise, ' a choral group may restrict membership based on vocal range or quality which may also result in a chorus or choruses of one or predominantly one gender.

Co-curricular Organization - a group which provides opportunities outside the classroom setting for students to apply classroom theory and/or to acquire knowledge, experience and/or skills.

Cultural Organization - an organization which is primarily concerned with studying, promoting, and/or expressing racial, ethnic, or affinity group traditions, social forms, art, and/or tastes.

Hobby Organization - a group which primarily pursues an activity for relaxation, recreation, or entertainment.

Political Activity - an activity related to: (1) lobbying the principal purpose of which is to influence the passage or defeat of specific legislation, and/or (2) electioneering which encompasses participation or intervention in any political campaign on behalf of or in opposition to any candidate for public office. These restrictions on funding political activities are not intended to preclude funding of any otherwise eligible student organization which: (1) advocates, as an incidental or insubstantial part of its activities, the adoption or rejection of legislation; (2) engages in nonpartisan analysis, study, or research, and makes the results available to the public, or (3) espouses particular positions or ideological viewpoints, including those that may be unpopular or are not generally accepted, or that may coincidentally be prominently held by particular political parties or political candidates.

Political Organization - an organization primarily devoted to political discussion or debate and the organization of meetings to further such interests, and which in advancing such general social and educational interests through its membership does not use student activities fee funding for political activity as defined herein.

Religious Activity - the organized worship of a deity, divine power, or supernatural entity, whether or not such activity is consistent with the precepts of an organized religion or denomination. No student news, information, opinion, entertainment or academic communications media group shall be considered to be engaging in religious activity merely because it expresses ideas or viewpoints that are religious in nature.

Religious Organization - an organization primarily devoted to religious discussion or debate and the organization of meetings to further such interests, and which in advancing such general social and educational interests in a secular context through its membership does not use student activities fee funding for religious activity as defined herein.

Student Activities Committee - the University faculty/student committee charged by the Vice President for Student Affairs to provide oversight to the student activity fee fund and its allocation by Student Council.

Special Status Student Organizations - Student organizations which have University delegated functions to perform are termed special status. These groups which include but are not limited to Student Council, school councils, University Guides, and University Singers,

have a University department or a school responsible for each group relative to the delegated functions. Two groups, Student Council and WTJU, are charged by the Board of Visitors. The other Special Status Student Organizations receive their charge from a University department or school. Because of this relationship to a school or department and the concomitant funding available to the group,

Special Status Student Organizations not charged by the Board of Visitors are ineligible for student activity fee fund allocations.

Student Organizations Eligible for Funding - Contracted Independent Organizations which have been Student Council qualified and comply with the Student Council appropriations process guidelines as well as Special Status Student Organizations charged by the Board of Visitors are eligible for student activity fee funding. Currently, Student Council and WTJU are Special Status Organizations eligible for funding.

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED that the foregoing amendments to the Guidelines for Student Activities Current Fund Allocation shall apply to all student organization funding requests that are pending on, or are made after January 16, 2004.