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 the 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.
SFC does not allocate funds for direct donations or fundraisers.
Prohibited Transactions
Certain items or types of spending are either entirely or partially prohibited for monies from 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.
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.
The SFC Pricing Guide should be followed when determining prices for services offered through Oberlin College, as well as standardized pricing caps determined by the SFC.
SFC does not have the financial resources to cover 100% of costs 100% of the time. Ultimately, requests are all reviewed on a case-by-case basis and many of these caps are meant to subsidize, not fully fund, all events.
Pricing Guide The SFC Pricing Guide should be followed when determining prices for services offered through Oberlin College, as well as standardized pricing caps determined by the SFC. SFC does not have the financial resources to cover 100% of costs 100% of the time. Ultimately, requests are all reviewed on a case-by-case basis and many of these caps are meant to subsidize, not fully fund, all events.
Printing Services Printing Services now recommends that all organizations get direct quotes on their printing costs before budgeting.
Printing Services B&WColor 8.5x11: $.035 per page $.25 per page 8.5x14: $.05 per page $.50 per page 11x17: $.07 per page $.50 per page Pricing for more specific printing services (Booklets, Xerographic, labels, lamination, specific paper, et cetera) can be found here.
Tickets
Printing Service: $0.07 per ticket
Central Ticket Office: $0.20 per ticket
SFC Advertising Caps:
General interest meetings $10
20-50 people in attendance $20-30
50-100 in attendance $30-35
100+ in attendance $40-50
Lodging
For 1-2 Guests, a single room at the Oberlin Hotel is $159/night. Student Organizations are permitted to apply a college charge discount. Please contact the hotel in advance to confirm if you can apply the discount. It is almost always available for weekdays.
Double Room is $189/night.
Each additional guest (parties of 3 or more) will cost $20/night.
Peak rates may be funded if date is specified; i.e. homecoming, Board Meeting Weekends, Parents Executive Council, etc.
For all food requests that exceed $500 per event, AVI Fresh gets first rights of refusal. This right means your organization must reach out to AVI first to see if they can accommodate the request. You can only use outside catering exceeding $500 if AVI refuses the request first.
For all catering requests, please include direct correspondence with the establishment as a price confirmation. Additionally, please include tips in the final budget request. Tips for large catering orders are mandatory and must be included in your budget.
Students traveling off-campus are funded up to $15/student per day for food subsidies.
Off-campus visitors are funded up to $20/visitor per day for food subsidies. For anything over or under a multiple of 1 full day, the meal breakdown is as follows: $10 for breakfast, $10 for lunch, and $15 for dinner.
Our cap for food at general interest meetings is $50. The organization will still need to provide an itemized list of food items to be considered for funding.
Organizations wishing to cook using SFC funds must provide SFC with a statement that proves they have an industrial kitchen and at least one member who is Serve Safe certified.
Airport-to-Oberlin Transportation cap: $65.00 each way
Rental Vehicle Costs from Transportation Office If a vehicle from the Transportation Office is needed over the weekend , you must rent the vehicle until the Monday after the weekend trip, as per the office's policy. Please refer to the Transportation Office's website for the latest vehicle pricing guide, and refer toEnterprise for descriptions of the vehicles available.
A $25.00 drop fee is also charged for any rental starting on a weekend or before 8am on a weekday will be charged this fee.
Daily charges for a vehicle are incurred on a 24 hour cycle. For example, a car was rented from 8am on Monday to 8am on Tuesday but the keys weren't returned until 10am on Tuesday. That organization will be charged for a two day rental. If your reservation goes past Office of Transportation’s business hours on a Friday or if you need the vehicle on a Monday before 9:00 am, you will be charged the daily rate for the entire weekend.
Click here for Oberlin College's Transportation Policy and Vehicle Rental Work Order Instructions.
Concert Sound Pricing for concert sound varies largely from event to event, if you budget for an event that requires concert sound we ask you to reach out to [email protected]for a pricing quote before bringing your proposal to us. Please attach a quote invoice from concert sound to your budget.
(*Central Heating Plant Engineers, Electricians, HVAC, Technicians, Mechanics and Plumbers)
7. Merchandise and Gifts SFC can subsidize individual club merchandise up to $20 per person. Organizations must assess financial need through a Google Form. SFC may cover merchandise costs for individuals in eligible orgs with demonstrated financial need. SFC will consider this type of request under the following criteria:
Number of people requesting merchandise
Historical reputation of the organization
Alignment with the club's mission
Due to Oberlin College Policy, all merchandise funded by SFC must have the Oberlin College logo on it.
SFC will not fund any merchandise to be sold for profit.
Senior Gifts are capped at $30 per gift, and the organization must provide a list of seniors and an itemized list of products to receive funding.
Student organizations may not donate SFC funds (money allocated from the Student Activity Fee) to outside organizations.
Honorariums Summary:
An honorarium is a payment given for professional services for outside speakers and performers brought to the college.
This policy applies only to honorariums and not to board, lodging, travel or other related costs.
Please contact Tina Zwegat at the Office of Student Involvement for contract negotiation, which is required before services can be rendered.
Contents:
Overview
Academic Speakers
Non-Academic Speakers
Coaches
Student Honorariums
Negotiation of Contracts
Overview The SFC will follow this policy when determining how to fund honorariums for speakers, performers, and other visitors to Oberlin College, during both the Ad Hoc and budgeting processes. This policy applies only to honorariums. Other common components of speaker compensation, such as lodging, food, and transportation, are covered in the SFC Pricing Guide. When considering allocations for honorariums, the SFC will consider the following factors, in addition to adhering to the guidelines of this policy: expected attendance at the event, accessibility of the event to the student body, level of interest on campus about the subject, the uniqueness of the event, and the level of honorariums paid by academic departments for similar events (in the case of academic speakers). When planning to pay professionals for their service, it is important to note that checks are cut by the Controller’s Office on Wednesday afternoon each week.
Coaches SFC can fund one coach for each club sports team at a maximum of $1,000 per semester. Student coaches must have been paid as a coach outside of Oberlin to be eligible for SFC funds. SFC will not fund separate travel costs for speakers and coaches outside of the requested honorarium.
Student Honorariums Performers
Student performers seeking a degree from the Conservatory may be paid up to $50 an hour to perform. SFC will only review budget requests for active performance times. Active performance time does not include time where students are not performing.
Student performers who are not seeking a degree from the Conservatory may be paid up to $50 per hour to perform in addition to one practice before the performance. The SFC will consider the student's professional repertoire for this type of request. Students with a robust musical repertoire (previous albums, performances, teaching experiences, etc.) are potentially eligible for compensation.
Photographers
Student photographers may be funded at a maximum of 30 minutes of editing time per hour of shooting time. Student photographers seeking payment must have documentation of professional experience. If the student photographer’s only professional experience is as an employee of Oberlin College, SFC will fund payment at Oberlin College minimum wage. SFC may fund student photographers at a maximum rate of $50 per hour only if they have documentation of professional experience outside of Oberlin, which must include an invoice/proof of payment, a contract and artistic portfolio. Student photographers must negotiate a contract with the Office of Student Involvement prior to any work.
Negotiation of Contracts To book an outside performer or speaker, you must first receive a quote from the individual (or their team, such as an agent) with a requested price. After a quote has been requested, communication with the professional must cease until contract negotiation is initiated. Next, your organization needs to reserve a room for the desired day(s) of the event. Now you are ready to request money from SFC! Be sure to include the correspondence between your org and the professional (a screenshot of the conversation is great), along with the space you have reserved for the event in your ad hoc/budget request. Once your funding request has been approved, you may contact Tina Zwegat to begin contract negotiations. After both parties sign the contract, your organization will need to submit an RFP to pay the professional. It is the treasurer’s responsibility to ensure that payment is submitted sufficiently in advance so that the guest is paid timely, per the terms of their contract. Please be aware that if SFC gets word that an organization has begun contract negotiations without having approved funds, SFC will not fund that event. It is essential to receive confirmation of funding before any negotiations take place.
Student Compensation Policy: Overview
The SFC will provide student wages only in specific circumstances.
Regular wages will be reserved for positions in chartered student organizations that require long-term, regular commitment.
Only chartered organizations that have been deemed active by the Office of Student Involvement for 5 years consecutively are eligible to apply for regular wages.
SFC will not review changes to payroll requests between semesters. Payroll will only be evaluated on a yearly basis.
Although various student organizations may fulfill the qualifications to receive wages, ultimately wage allocation is at the discretion of the Student Finance Committee, as decided during the budgeting process.
Compensation will not be granted in cases where students receive course credit for their position or service.
All regular wages will be granted at the campus wide minimum wage.
Compensation for Services Rendered:
Organizations may contract individuals or students for specific services.
The organization must undergo the honorarium process, including arranging for the contract to be authorized by the Office of Student Involvement.
Contracts must be finalized before any services are rendered and compensated.
Regular wage requests will be considered if:
The organization has been both active and continuously chartered for 5 years.
The organization provides a distinct, well-established service that contributes substantially to the welfare of the Oberlin College campus and students who are not directly involved in the organization.
The organization cannot function effectively without the waged position in question.
The organization has demonstrated financial responsibility. An organization that submits late budgets or has overdrawn its account will significantly lower its chance of receiving wages or will lose its waged positions.
The duties of the position cannot reasonably be expected to be completed without a significant level of compensation.
The position requires a significant and consistent time commitment, such as holding regular office hours and completing large projects on a recurring basis.
Requests for wages for positions that require at least 5 hours of work per week or manual labor will be more strongly considered.
The position is assigned in a demonstrably transparent and democratic manner.
Wages will be administered under the following conditions:
Regular wage requests will be calculated in terms of the average hours of commitment per week.
Regular wages for any student organization are not to exceed 10 hours per week per person.
Actual wages paid may not exceed the amount you were approved for wages by the SFC.
Waged individuals will be paid through Timeclock Plus.
Tina Zwegat ([email protected]) will work with payroll to set up individuals who have been selected to work approved waged positions in Timeclock Plus.