In the past, if a campus organization wanted to hold a large event -- the annual Native-American Pow-Wow and PRIDE Week come to mind -- they might ask six different committees for co-sponsorship and funds. But thanks the recent creation of the Special Programs and Events Committee, an umbrella group for large-scale event funding, organizations seeking over $5,000 for their events can apply to directly to one committee.
The Undergraduate Finance Committee, the organization responsible for distributing the money collected from student activities fees, decided to form SPEC last spring after receiving a recommendation last year from a Student Assembly task force led by Kapil Kale '07. The task force produced a seven-page report about ways in which Dartmouth could increase efficiency and cited the College's complicated funding procedures as one example.
Only a month into the term, SPEC has already received and approved applications from two organizations, Lambda Upsilon Lambda and Friday Night Rock. SPEC chair Yasmin Mandviwala '08 estimates the committee will receive 10 to 15 requests each term. While the committee was active over the summer, this fall's two monetary requests are the first it has received. SPEC also formalized its constitution and membership this fall.
SPEC is comprised of one member from each of the six co-sponsoring committees: Class Councils, Collis Governing Board, the Council on Student Organizations, Greek Leadership Council, Programming Board and Student Assembly. None of those groups will fund events over $5,000 anymore. They will be joined by one at-large member of the Assembly and the committee's chair, elected by the members of the UFC. The committee reports to UFC and the dean of student life.
"I don't think there has ever been a body like this," Mandviwala said. "Large-scale funding was very superfluous of a process, it was hard and not very effective for some events on campus to have to go to multiple organizations."
SPEC accepts applications from any College-recognized undergraduate organization. It requires a detailed budget three weeks before an event, and the requesting group's leaders follow up with a presentation.
Friday Night Rock member Michael Magner '09 described the SPEC funding process as relatively simple.
"I had to present what our budget is for the year, and I just ran through what the different things that we spend money on are, how many shows we book a term," he said. "I'm really excited about the whole organization of SPEC. It's a really really good idea and a great way for organizations to get money from just one place."
