UWM SA Grants Student Orgs Money for Henna Design, Hotels

The Student Association granted over $10,000 to UW-Milwaukee students at the Student Association Committee grant hearing on Nov. 7, funding everything from henna designs to hotel and flight expenses.

Groups receiving funding were the Ceramic Art Association, Sculpture Club, Association of Graduate Students Neuropsychology, Society for Human Resources Management, Jewish Student Group, and American Institute of Graphic.

This meeting was one of many weekly meetings that helps get through all the pending organizations that await their grant hearings. Roughly $300,000 each year is awarded to Registered Student Organizations (RSOs) to support their on-campus events and travel expenses. The Student Association is funded through student segregated fees ($12 per student per semester).

Senior Angela Ryan represented the organization, The American Institute of Graphic Design at the meeting. Their organization helps art students learn about graphic design. She did the presentation very quick and straight forward.

“There’s nothing scary about being up there, the whole process is straight to the point,” Ryan said.

Her group requested three different ideas on behalf of the group and they were all granted. Their first request was of $300 for marketing reasons. This would help with their general supplies for events.

Another $300 was granted to the group for their UWM-Event on campus called Designer Talk. James T. Edmondson, an independent type designer in California, would be their guest speaker for the event, thanks to the Student Association. They can now cover the supplies for the students for the future workshop.

Lastly, they were granted another $300 for their End of the Year event in the spring. This money will cover for their desired food options and little supplies for activities they will like to have such as Henna designing.

Why they do this? Well, their mission is to enrich the student experience at UWM through funding of services and activities that improve student life.

Another representor of the organization who came along with Ryan was senior Emily Adkins. She commented on the process for the funding. She said she wished there was more training sessions to clear up confusion if any.

“There’s no room for leeway,” Adkins said.

The Ceramic Art Student Association was approved by their two grant ideas for those involved in their organization. This organization planned a trip to Portland needed help funding transportation costs and lodging. Not only did they receive a total of $2,344 to help cover those expenses but also was approved for $125 for supplies they planned to create ribbons and bowls to sell as another form to raise money for the trip.

The Sculpture Club was approved for a total of $2,534.99 for their future projector, cameras and equipment for the students to use in the organization.

RSOs at UWM can apply for a grant through the Student Association Senate Appropriations Committee.

There are three steps to have an organization funded. The process is at least one recognized officer of the organization must attend a mandatory RSO Grant training. There will be a list of dates on their website that shows the training sessions that take place in the Student Union EG80. The next step would be to complete an application with a due date deadline.

Last step is to sign up and attend a grant hearing where the organization will find out if their request was granted or not. During the grant hearing, members of the Student Association will ask questions about the grant and make a preliminary decision about how much, if any, the organization will receive.

The Student Association Committee, the organizations is broke up into three branches: the executive branch, the legislative branch and the oversight and appeals commission. They all work together to achieve their mission.

Next semester the process repeats.