Student Union (SU) Treasury heard appeals from student groups totalling $17,745.49, deciding to allocate $9,123.41 and tabling an appeal from Washington University’s swing dance club continued discussion next week, on Nov. 7. To date, the total amount allocated by Treasury this semester is $198,073.96. 

In addition, Treasury approved 16 new student groups as well as the recategorization of 26 student groups for the spring 2024 semester. 

This recategorization allows student groups to access more funding and resources from SU, including access to rolling Treasury appeals for Category I groups and access to flat funding for Category II groups.

Treasury Appeals

Swing Theory, WashU’s swing dance club, requested $4,300 for off-campus dance lessons and transportation. The group has already been budgeted $5,000 for dance lessons for the year but has used $4,500 on lessons this semester. 

Initial discussion focused on comparing the club to athletic groups, which are allocated funds for coaches and spaces, with representatives questioning whether or not the group would be treated differently if it were considered a club sport.

Treasury representative junior Leila Asadi said that, looking at decisions from past Treasuries, the group was potentially being treated differently from sports groups.

Discussion centered around the implications of funding the group, which has 16 current members, for double the initial budgeted amount.

Treasury representative and Budget Committee Chair junior Leena Rai said that she felt like it was not the most equitable use of money. 

“I’m especially uncomfortable funding this because they are already budgeted $5,000 [for the semester] which I already feel like is a lot of dance lessons and to re-fund almost double feels excessive,” Rai said.

The group’s small size also gave representatives, including Treasury representative junior Andy Mun, cause for concern. 

“I feel [funding] $9,000 for 16 people is a high sum of money,” Mun said.

Rai also said that there are dance studios on campus that SU already pays for that the group could use instead of using an off-campus facility.

Treasury representative senior Justin Kouch floated the idea of subsidizing the group for part of their request.

Representatives, however, quickly decided to table the discussion which Speaker of the Treasury junior Sadie Karp said would entail that Treasury would reach out to the group and the appeal would be presented the following week, after she or Asadi speaks to the group. 

Club Gymnastics appealed for $5,932.08 to compete in the Nationals tournament from April 11-14. 

The group had been funded previously for $23,890 for travel-related expenses, leaving only $1,610 left for Treasury to allocate in funds, due to the group’s $25,500 travel cap.

The current SU travel cap allows the allocation of up to $850 per traveling member of the group per school year for travel related expenses. 

“The travel cap is $850 per traveling member of a group; $850 is already over your student activities fee so you are really making your money back if you are making that travel cap,” Karp said. “It is also to stop us from going bankrupt.”

While the group had already received some funds for this competition, they were requesting more money due to changes in travel-related costs. Rai said that Treasury should fund up to the travel cap, noting that the group’s requests were reasonable and that prices can change when planning travel.

“This is a situation in which it does, in my opinion, it makes sense to fund up to their travel cap and give them as many resources as they can to accomplish their mission,” Rai said.

The request was funded up to the group’s travel cap for $1,610.

The Chinese Students Association (CSA) requested $3,696 for their annual winter formal in addition to the $8,700 they had previously been budgeted. The “Kung Fu Panda”-themed event will be held at Jefferson Underground on Dec. 1. The event is slated to have 200 ticketed guests and will have performances from four student groups.

CSA cited an increase in transportation costs due to inflation, an increase in student groups that require transportation, and a need for more food based on last year’s event. CSA was funded in full for their request, receiving $3,696.

The Washington University chapter of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) requested funds to improve the dance floor used at the annual Vertigo dance hosted by the Engineering Council and open to all undergraduates. The dance floor will consist of 40 to 50 reusable tiles which are assembled in Lopata Hall for the annual event. The group requested $3,817.41 for these improvements and was funded in full for their request.

Activities Committee

Treasury representatives voted to approve all of the recommendations proposed by the Activities Committee (AC) for the Spring 2024 semester, which were presented by AC Chair Meris Damjanovic.

The committee, which is responsible for approving new student groups and recategorizing student groups, recommended approving 16 new student groups and reclassifying 26 groups.

Student groups are placed into one of three categories (Category I, II, III) which impact student groups abilities to access funding and other SU resources. 

“Recategorization is really important because if we just left groups at Category III, they would not really be able to continue to function after a certain point.” Damjanovic said.

Category III groups have basic access to SU resources but receive no funding from SU, Category II groups have access to flat funding, and Category I groups have access to flat funding, annual budgeting, and access to rolling appeal funds from Treasury.

Every new student group is approved as a Category III group and is able to move up one category each subsequent semester.

26 students groups were recategorized and 16 new student groups were approved for the spring 2024 Semester. 15 groups will be recategorized from Category III to Category II groups and 11 from Category II to Category I groups.