By Vanessa Broadbent (The Cascade) – Email
Print Edition: September 17, 2014
Clubs and associations celebrated the start of a new year September 10 in AfterMath with speakers and free food.
The Student Union Society (SUS) held the event so clubs and associations could learn about new policies regarding registration and finances.
SUS engagement officer Derrick Swallow welcomed everyone and explained the event was to ensure clubs and associations felt supported by SUS.
Then, UFV International’s new global engagement officer Chelsey Laird spoke about her goal to help clubs, associations, and SUS groups collaborate with UFV’s international program.
Another new way SUS plans to support student groups on campus is with a new handbook compiled by clubs and associations officer Alisha Atkinson. It contains details regarding club registration, events, advertising, and funding.
Since last year, the registration and re-registration process has changed. A group’s registration used to expire at the same time every year. Now a group’s membership does not expire until a year from when they registered.
The biggest change associations will see this year from last, however, is in SUS’s approach to funding. VP internal Thomas Davies explained that previously, SUS gave funds in advance — but to prevent funds from going to the wrong areas, SUS will provide 70 per cent of funds needed before an event, and the remaining 30 per cent when a receipt is submitted. Funding will be distributed on a by-request basis.
“We need to know what you’re doing to ensure the amount of funding seems reasonable,” Davies said.
The funding form can be found on SUS’s new website, and requires three electronic signatures.
One student in attendance asked about the legitimacy of electronic signatures, but Davies explained that it’s pretty easy to forge a signature whether the application is paper or electronic, so SUS will contact the people signing funding request forms.
Some students interested in starting a club or association (including a possible African club) attended, as well as already-established clubs and associations, such as the Biology and Chemistry Student Association, Aboriginal Students Club, Student Psychology Association, English Students Association, and the International Students Association.
