Q: What happened to OST? A: In the Student Finance Committee's charter, the Office of the Student Treasurer (OST) is a subdivision of the committee that focuses on form processing and accounting. The committee has worked to absolve this separation over the past year, as all committee members work together to allocate and distribute funds. Absolving OST as a separate entity more accurate reflects the current committee's processes and perspective regarding allocation decisions, policy development, and other SFC functions.
Q: I need to ad hoc, when can I submit a request? A: You can submit an ad hoc request at any time during the semester. Forms for a Sunday ad hoc session are due on the preceding Thursday night at 11:59pm. For example, if you'd like to submit an ad hoc for Sunday, September 1st, you will need to submit the request via Google Form by Thursday, August 29.
Q: I will need a P Card for my event, when should I submit the request? A: You need to submit your P Card request at least five business days in advance to allow for adequate processing time, or else you will risk not getting the card in time to make purchases. You must also return the P Card within one business day, since there are a small number of cards and a very large number of organizations that need them.
Q: If I need to order something on Amazon, should I use a P Card? A: No, use ObieBuy! Oberlin has a tax free Amazon account that can be used by student organizations. All you'll need to do is fill out the ObieBuy request form.
Q: What is an honorarium? A: Honorariums are typically used to pay speakers, performers, and other guests student organizations wish to invite to Oberlin's campus. To initiate this process, you will need to reach out to your desired guest and request a quote for their services. Upon receiving a response, you will need to contact Tina Zwegat and submit a funding request for the quote to the SFC to initiate the negotiation process. You will not be able to negotiate, sign a contract, or otherwise promise your guest funds until the request is approved by the SFC, as it is against policy. After you have received funding and negotiated a contract with your guest, you will need to submit the proper documents to the SFC at leastthree weeks in advance for adequate processing time.
Q: How do I pay an honorarium? A: To pay an honorarium properly, you will need to submit a completed RFP on behalf of the payee, the payee's W9 (unless they are an Oberlin College employee), and a contract signed by both the host and payee outlining the terms of payment. Additionally, if the payee would like to be compensated via direct deposit, you will also need to submit a completed ACH Vendor Form and proof of a bank account, which can be achieved by sending a screenshot of the account and routing numbers.
Q: I already paid for some supplies for my event, can I get reimbursed even if the funds have not been approved yet? A: No. The SFC does not allocate funds towards retroactive purchases. As a reminder, it is against our policies to spend money that has not been approved for your organization. Q: Does SFC know how exactly much money is in my account? A: No. The SFC does not currently track any student organization's spending. While we have rough estimates, it varies based on actual p-card expenditure, facilities/concert sound invoices, etc. We highly recommend treasurers keep track on their organization's finances on their own. For more tips on tracking expenses, click here.
Q: How do I establish demonstrated interest and proof of financial need? A: There are many ways to collect this information, but most committee members recommend a simple Google Form! You can use the template here. The SFC needs to see how many people are interested in the event, activity, or purchase, and to what extent individuals can financially support the initiative. Your funding request may not be approved if this information is not sufficient, so the committee highly recommends using our template as is.