On February 16th, an open forum for a potential Student Activity Center was held for CU students. During the forum, the students were asked about what they liked and did not like about current opportunities on campus, as well as about their own personal experiences in getting involved. (Elizabeth Rodriguez/CU Independent)
CU Student Government led the conversation Monday about a potential new office that would synthesize two old ones.
“We really just wanted to bring people together to talk about the changes happening with student groups,” said CUSG Tri–executive Lora Roberts.
Formerly, the Student Organizations Finance Office (SOFO) handled funding requests for student groups, whereas the Student Involvement, Activities, and Leadership Development Office worked with students through programs and community engagement.
“We wanted to centralize those two and make them one. We want the new office to be a place where you can get all of the above,” said Roberts. “The two staffs are coming together and brainstorming what they want from the new office, but we wanted to hear from the students.”
The forum was all-encompassing, touching on everything from advising to spatial layout.
“We want the space to be very open. A place where students can collaborate and get the materials that they need,” said Roberts
One repeatedly discussed topic was how the new office would be available through the Internet. Gregory McQuie, president of the campus-based community service group Alpha Phi Omega Gamma Theta, believes that having access to account information online would be positive for student groups.
“I think adding some more technology isn’t a bad idea. It’s something we’ve struggled with in the past, for example accepting credit card payments. The SOFO website isn’t equipped to handle that,” said McQuie. “I haven’t used the SOFO website much since I first became a signer. Being able to see what your available funds are and policies online would be nice.”
The conversation was positive, although a few minor concerns were voiced as well.
“Right now SGFB (Student Group Funding Board) is seeing more groups than they thought they would be. The code is written to be able to give a lot of money, without much power within the board to reject giving money to groups. A couple of years ago they saw 60 groups and this year they have seen 130. There’s a differentiation between the amount of money being given and the amount of money allocated. To make funds more sustainable we want to restructure the code,” said Roberts.
The SGFB is one of the many funding boards on campus that follows the Student Fee Regulations. In addition, the board has its own code with more specific parameters.
“I think that it’s exciting to see that there are so many other student groups getting involved on campus,” said McQuie. “It’s always upsetting to hear that there might not be as much money around. It sounds like they have plans in place to make the transition go smoothly and be equipped to connect student groups to funding sources without too much trouble.”
It was also stated that all staff members of SOFO would be offered a position in the new office.
Forums will continue to be held throughout the semester, with dates to be announced.
Contact CU Independent News Editor David Green at dagr8433@colorado.edu
