General Guidelines All funds allocated to an organization must be spent in accordance with the organization’s charter, procedures established by the Student Finance Committee , the guidelines of the Student Financial Charter, the rules and policies of Oberlin College, and all applicable laws. If a Student Controller, Student Treasurer, or other member of the SFC believes that any spending request represents an inappropriate use of student funds, per the aforementioned guidelines, they may stop that form from being processed. In any questionable cases, the decision of the Student Treasurer is final. If the Student Treasurer determines that an organization’s treasurer has misused SFC funds, the Student Treasurer reserves the right to charge the treasurer’s term bill in order to recover the funds. Unspent funds in an organization’s account will return to the Student Activity Fund at the end of each semester, and will therefore no longer be available for use by that organization.
Timing
SFC will only fund semester events, including Thanksgiving, fall and spring break. SFC will only fund yearly budgets on a case-by-case basis.
SFC will not fund events or activities during reading period or finals.
SFC does not provide funding for events and activities in which students are seeking academic credit.
SFC will not fund events over Winter Term.
Permitted Transactions Funds from the Student Activity Fund may be used for the following pursuits and organizational purposes:
The costs of student events, activities, and programming. This includes, but is not limited to the costs associated with: sports games and tournaments; on-campus conferences, speaker series or lectures, religious events and observances, protests and activism, banquets and cultural events, concerts, movie screenings, plays, recitals, and performances. Club Sports Conferences (i.e. Regionals, Nationals, etc.) can be funded on a contingent basis. Those funds may only be used if the team makes it to that event, and cannot be reallocated to any other event.
Outreach to the student body, such as publicity and advertising for interest meetings, activities, and events.
Paying the honorariums and other professional costs of speakers or performers.
Costs associated with the maintenance of an office, such as basic supplies, media, and phone bills.
Equipment necessary for organizational functions, upgrades to existing equipment, storage space and security, and transportation of equipment. The SFC will not fund equipment unless the organization can demonstrate that they have a secure location in which to store it (such as an office or a wilder storage unit; residence hall rooms or off-campus houses are not appropriate storage locations). All equipment requests must be accompanied by a current inventory of all equipment possessed by the organization.
Compensation to students, organizations, or professionals for services rendered.
Costs for any other purchase or activity that enhances the quality of student life at Oberlin, with the approval of SFC.
SFC will only fund subscriptions that are vital to the organization's essential function. In order to receive funding for Canva Pro, please reach out to the Communications Office to access a student Canva Pro account. Organizations must provide correspondence from the Communications Office that they have been approved for a student account.
SFC may allow organizations to invest generated funds back into their organization. Student organizations that generate income through events or fundraising not sponsored by SFC may add the income to their account, increasing their total available funds for the semester.
Profits from sales generated using SFC funds must be returned to SFC and will not be available for use by the organization. Profits from performances using SFC funds or SFC funded equipment may be available for reinvestment into the organization on a case-by-case basis, after SFC is reimbursed for the startup costs.
Prohibited Transactions Certain items or types of spending are either entirely or partially prohibited from being funded by the Student Activity Fund.
Completely prohibited:
Firearms, explosives, weapons, illicit substances or items. No exceptions--the SFC will not allocate funds for these, and organizations may not purchase them, regardless of the source of funding. Any attempt to violate this policy may result in the responsible students being referred to the College judicial system.
SFC will not fund personal devices, or any item used for personal use.
SFC does not allocate funds for direct donations or fundraisers.
Partially prohibited:
T-shirts, clothing, and accessories such as hats, buttons, patches or bracelets. Exceptions may be made for uniforms or for items that have Oberlin College branding. Please refer to the SFC Pricing Guide for more information.
Gifts or prizes. The SFC may only fund items that have Oberlin College branding, with those requests considered on a case-by-case basis. Organizations may purchase gifts with their income.
Transfers to other student organizations, projects, College offices, or departments. Organizations may only transfer SFC-allocated funds to organizations with an existing account, and only with the approval of SFC.
Alcohol. The SFC will only allocate funds for the purchase of alcohol to religious organizations for which alcohol constitutes a core aspect of a religious event. No other organizations may request or purchase alcohol.
Two Strike Policy The two-strike system will allow for the removal of a treasurer when two violations of the treasurer contract have been committed. If an organization receives two strikes, their funds will be frozen until a new treasurer is selected and trained. This treasurer and the president/chair must attend office hours for a specialized training by the SFC treasurer. An email will be sent to the treasurer and committee chair notifying them of a strike.
Violations that amount to strikes include but are not limited to:
Negligence of or delays in executing payments for services rendered.
Requesting an honorarium after the date of performance or with minimal prior warning.
Any form of retroactive spending.
Any other breach of the Treasurer Contract
SFC maintains the right to assign a violation on a case-by-case basis if other forms of negligence or mishandling of funds are committed.