Since 2017, Student Union’s Opportunity Fund has existed in order to give students from low socioeconomic backgrounds assistance in participating in extracurricular activities. Since its establishment, several changes have been made and will continue to be made to the relatively new program. While the establishment of the Opportunity Fund is seen by the Editorial Board as a positive step, the ever-changing aspects of the fund has left some students confused concerning various aspects of the fund and its uses.

Students eligible for the Opportunity Fund receive an initial Bear Bucks card preloaded with $45; once this has been exhausted, students have the option to request up to a total of $250 through an application process. This stands as a big change from last year, when the maximum allotted to each student was $50. Partnering with Student Financial Services and the Office for Student Success in order to distribute and allocate funds, Student Union has gathered $300,000 from their fund in order to allow for the program to expand.

However, some students, including members of our own Editorial Board, have expressed confusion as to where the Opportunity Fund can be used, receiving contradictory information. While the initial $45 is available to be utilized anywhere that accepts Bear Bucks, any money given through the additional application process may only be used through SU-sanctioned events, such as club dues, cultural show tickets and club sport fees. This application process requires a statement of what SU activity the additional funding will be used at and the time at which it will be spent. Additionally, the application process can take up to two weeks to be processed, which could prove a problem for some as there are clubs advertised as free to join that do have some fees once a student does get involved. This differentiation tends to feel unclear for students, risking hesitance in truly utilizing the fund. With the freeness around the initial $45, the restriction through the application process feels like mixed messaging from SU as to the intended use of the funding.

With the additional funding and the developing state of the fund, it seems promising that the fund will continue to develop and improve. The Student Life Editorial Board sees several avenues into which the fund will hopefully grow. The board believes SU should mirror Wash. U.’s start-up fund structure of not being restrictive in terms of where the money is spent. This is especially important since the start-up funds will be available to only first-year students; the Opportunity Fund poses a chance to offer some of the same support of living expenses for sophomore year and beyond.