SAFAC:The story behind all the money
By: Jason Gomes
Issue date: 5/14/04 Section: News
Originally published: 5/14/04 at 2:10 AM EST
Last update: 5/14/04 at 1:01 PM EST
Originally published: 5/14/04 at 2:10 AM EST
Last update: 5/14/04 at 1:01 PM EST
How SAFAC works
The Student Activity Fee Allocation Committee is a board of full-time undergraduate students that administers all business related to the request of and the allocation of funding from the full time undergraduate student activity fee.
The board consists of nine student liaisons, one student chairperson, one student vice-chair, one student secretary, a Student Life counterpart and Paul Linderman, assistant director of business and finance for Campus Activities, serving as the advisor. A little over $1 million was collected from the student activity fee for the 2003-04 academic year.
"This money is allocated from full-time students for use only by full-time students," Linderman said. "No other department in the university can gain access to this money. The administration, especially Tony Caneris and Dianna Dale, want to stress to the students that this money only goes to the students.
"Some people think that there exists red tape but there is really is none at all," Linderman added.
It is the students who decide how this money is allocated when applications for the annual SAFAC allocations and SAFAC Reserve Funding are received. The advisor's role is to make sure that the students are adhering to University policy, as well as SAFAC constitution and bylaws, and also keeps accounting records of how the money is being spent and allocated.
"Many colleges and universities in the United States have a similar student organization accounting program. However, Drexel is one of the only schools whose students' entire student activity fee is used for only student organizations. Most schools take away a portion of that money to pay off insurance costs, licenses and other expenses," SAFAC member Gene Hateniuk said.
SAFAC has never been audited by Drexel in its eight year existence. In addition, SAFAC has never had to audit a student organization, though it sometimes conducts investigations to fix problems that organizations experience.
The Student Activity Fee Allocation Committee is a board of full-time undergraduate students that administers all business related to the request of and the allocation of funding from the full time undergraduate student activity fee.
The board consists of nine student liaisons, one student chairperson, one student vice-chair, one student secretary, a Student Life counterpart and Paul Linderman, assistant director of business and finance for Campus Activities, serving as the advisor. A little over $1 million was collected from the student activity fee for the 2003-04 academic year.
"This money is allocated from full-time students for use only by full-time students," Linderman said. "No other department in the university can gain access to this money. The administration, especially Tony Caneris and Dianna Dale, want to stress to the students that this money only goes to the students.
"Some people think that there exists red tape but there is really is none at all," Linderman added.
It is the students who decide how this money is allocated when applications for the annual SAFAC allocations and SAFAC Reserve Funding are received. The advisor's role is to make sure that the students are adhering to University policy, as well as SAFAC constitution and bylaws, and also keeps accounting records of how the money is being spent and allocated.
"Many colleges and universities in the United States have a similar student organization accounting program. However, Drexel is one of the only schools whose students' entire student activity fee is used for only student organizations. Most schools take away a portion of that money to pay off insurance costs, licenses and other expenses," SAFAC member Gene Hateniuk said.
SAFAC has never been audited by Drexel in its eight year existence. In addition, SAFAC has never had to audit a student organization, though it sometimes conducts investigations to fix problems that organizations experience.
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