YOUR LOGO
FOR STUDENT GROUPS
Student groups have events that they hold, initiatives that they push for and programming that's a combination of both. Our goal is to make these processes as easy as possible. Check out our ideas below for how we'll support your groups' events and initiatives!
Reduce CCSC Budget by 20%
CCSC receives nearly $1M in student life fees annually, and maintains $133,000 for Campus Life, class council and Student Project Grant spending. For the 2014-2015 school year, we will reduce spending by 20% in these areas by cutting CCSC programs that have under-performed and which overlap with student groups' programs. This will free up $26,000+ annually to be allocated towards student groups via (1) F@CU, (2) annual funds such as the Joint Council Co-Sponsorship Fund (JCCC) and (3) a new fund for student groups seeking support for campus wide initiatives such as divestment or workers' rights.
Alumni giving
Alumni can currently give to the Core, Student Affairs and other categories, but not to their old student groups. Next year, we'll seek to add governing boards and individual clubs to the list of categories that alumni can give to. This will provide a meaningful way for alumni to give, more funds for student groups and a way for groups and alums to reconnect!
Student Group Accounting
Student groups have a difficult time checking their balances and seeing exactly where their money went. Part of this problem is due to the variety of systems that administration uses (ARC, LionLink, etc.) and part of it is due to administrative turnover. Starting immediately after elections, we'll work with Student Engagement to identify how these problems can be solved and work with them throughout the summer so that we have easier and more accurate bookkeeping when we get back in the Fall.
We will also work with groups to share best practices on (1) how to build and execute accurate event budgets, not just copy+paste from last year, and (2) how to effectively and efficiently apply for funding.
Joint Council Co-Sponsorship Committee (JCCC)
Currently, this fund can cover the following once per year per recognized student group:
1) Emergency funding
2) New programming
3) Up to 50% of travel costs for events
Going forward, we'll seek to give more funding to student groups by eliminating the once per year rule and by funding unrecognized student groups. Students should never have to pay for their events out of pocket and these changes are the first step to solving this problem.
Help groups cut costs
We will help groups reduce their on-campus costs, such as facilities costs and printing costs, especially now that Barnard Printing is gone and Columbia Printing is noticeably more expensive.
Focus CCSC Events
There are some events which only CCSC would take on such class apparel and formals. There are other events which all student groups do, such as study breaks. Going forward, INSIGHT will encourage class councils to put on more focused events. If class councils still want to do study breaks we'll encourage them to purchase their snacks from fundraising student organizations instead of outside vendors. This will allow us to reduce class council budgets by 10% and prevent council events from getting in the way of student group events.
Regularly Meeting with Different Student Groups
Every week, INSIGHT will send at least one member to a different student group meeting to provide insight as to how some of their issues can be resolved, to gain insight as to how we can help solve issues, and to maintain accessibility. These meetings will play an essential role in forming and informing our student-centered agenda.
Initiatives fund
Every year, student groups present us with campus-wide initiatives that seek to improve Columbia for all of its members. Recent examples include fossil fuel and prison divestment, sexual assault response reform and workers' rights reforms. These groups often have to go into their allocations to gain support for important initiatives that they didn't budget for, and this prevents them from holding their planned programming. Going forward, INSIGHT will seek to create a new fund or expand JCCC to provide case-by-case funding for groups which seek support for valuable campus-wide initiatives/ballots.
Townhalls
INSIGHT is committed to serving as a voice for Columbia College. We are also committed to empowering you providing platforms on which you can voice your concerns as an individual or community at Columbia. We are devoted to providing frequent, safe, and productive town halls to discuss essential matters including, but certainly not limited to: the successes and failures of the Core Curriculum, its endowment, the implications of divestment, defining free speech, inclusion and safety of various groups, including but not limited to women, minorities, and the LGBQ community. Most importantly, INSIGHT will take these discussions and then work in committees to address them.
Greek Groups
We recognize the immense value in the principles, commmunities, networks and philanthropy that Greek organizations each bring to Columbia. We also understand the need to fight the negative stigmas that can accompany membership in a Greek organization. We want to work with you to create your own brands on campus. Safe dialogue around achievements and conflicts that affect Greek life are key to greater understanding and resolution. Furthermore, some of you have expressed interest in creating means for students with low funds to gain financial support if they are accepted into a Greek organization. We’ve followed up with administrators and would love to pursue this initiative along with any others that will strengthen your Columbia community.
CCSC Resolution
As representatives of the student body, CCSC is able to pass resolutions in support of student group efforts which seek to affect the entire community, such as those described in the Initiatives Fund section above. These resolutions signal to administrators that we support a group's efforts and that we will work with them to accomplish their goals. Historically, CCSC has voted to pass or not pass resolutions for groups which come to us. In the future, we can do more to seek out groups which may benefit from our support and our pull with administrators, instead of waiting for them to approach us. While we may not end up passing resolutions for 100% of the groups which we reach out to, CCSC will be much more aware of issues that students are concerned with and council will become more bottom-up than top-down.
What's Happening, CU?
Between all the committees, coalitions and groups, there is a lot happening on this campus! INSIGHT is dedicated to maintaining a direct line of communication to entities like the Committee on the Core, the Coalition Against Sexual Violence, the Student Health Advisory Committee, and the Student Housing Advisory Board (just to name a few). We will provide a platform for students to keep up with and participate in the ongoing actions of these committees.