The Budget Advisory Committee (BAC) is responsible for allocating funds to UCCS clubs and organizations for events, trips and campus programming.
BAC receives $150,000 of the student activity fee each year, which costs students $16.06 each spring and fall semester. Clubs and organizations can apply through Mountain Lion Connect.
“BAC aids in providing funding to clubs that are looking to help their clubs expand, go do activities — things that make the campus more enjoyable and improve student life,” SGA Director of Finance Josh Mattias said.
Organizations and clubs must be registered with student services and have events approved by event services to apply. Applications provide budget quotes, including airfare if the trip is over 500 miles and travel intent forms if necessary.
Clubs can apply for funding for the entire year upfront or submit budget requests throughout the year and individual forms are required for unrelated events for organizational purposes. Unrelated events that are combined under one form will be sent back for separation.
According to Mattias, BAC usually responds to proposals in two-three weeks depending on the length of the review process and if the committee requires clarification from the club or organization.
The decision to accept or reject proposals is made by the Senate members on the committee. Proposals are rejected if the budget is outside BAC guidelines or if Senators feel they are not beneficial to campus or club members.
Proposals may be accepted under the condition the club agrees to a reduction in the budget. Reductions often come down to practical cost-saving choices, such as choosing motor pool vehicles over more expensive rentals.
Clubs that disagree with the funding rejection can appeal the decision with the Senate and, potentially, the judicial branch.
According to Mattias, the director of finance does not cast a vote unless there is a tie. All meetings and meeting documents are public to ensure fairness and transparency.
“My role is to make sure that [clubs] are following the [funding] path properly,” Mattias said.
BAC is collecting data to better understand funding trends and improve the application and funding process for clubs and organizations.
Photo from the UCCS Photography Database.