By Kayla Tucker – Editor-in-Chief
Allocation fund proposals from the Gamma Theta Upsilon group and the Black Student Union were reviewed at today’s Student Alliance Collaborative meeting.
GTU presented a request for $3,389.40 for an April trip, and BSU requested $1,300 for a conference next week. Because the allocation fund is open to all clubs, fund requests over $1,000 must be approved by the assembled leaders of the other student groups.
BSU’s received $1,000 of their original request. The vote on GTU’s request was tabled until the next Student Alliance meeting on Dec. 3.
GTU requested the monies to complete necessary funding for a trip to a California Geographical Society Conference in April.
Stacey Murphy, president of GTU, said the club has received funding for the past five years to attend the conference.
“This is the best way to get experience to find out what it is to be a geographer,” Murphy, 28, said. “I met the authors of my textbooks while I was there (last year). I met some of the most renowned geographers in America and from around the world there. It’s really just the most invaluable experience you could have as a student.”
GRCC’s GTU club was invited to attend this year’s conference, making them one of the only, if not the only, community college clubs in attendance.
“We’re one of only 5 percent of Gamma Theta Upsilon chapters that have an honors recognition in the whole nation,” Murphy said.
The GTU members must maintain a strict GPA of 3.7 to keep their honors recognition.
The Black Student Union’s $1,300 request was for a conference next week in Wisconsin about how to successfully have a club on campus, professionalism and networking.
BSU said they fundraised $200 and needed the remainder of the funds from Student Alliance to cover the costs of the trip. Students asked the members if they had already used the funds in their account, which were approximately $580. BSU members said they had not and then Student Alliance members voted to approve $1,000 in funding for the BSU trip, which was $300 less than what the club requested.
Murphy, of GTU, said BSU should have been able to keep their club funding in their account.
“If they’re struggling to keep members, I would rather they keep their original (allocated funds) for their club here on campus,” Murphy said. “We should be doing everything we can to prop them up and encourage their membership and importance on campus.”
In other news, GRCC Diversity Development Services Manager Tamber Bustance made a reappearance at today’s meeting to follow up on the club’s social contracts and how they were doing. Bustance touched on maintaining stress and taking care of oneself as a student and club officer.
Students participated in a card activity where they used teamwork to create a storybook.
Hana Christofferson also spoke to the club officers about upcoming Campus Activities Board events including the annual StressBuster on Dec. 9 and Winter Welcome Week from Jan. 18-21.
