Treasurer

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Funding Requirements

In order to receive funding from the Student Government Association, Registered Student Organizations (RSOs) must satisfy the following requirements:

I. Be in good standing with Student Life & Development.

1. Attend monthly Presidents’ Council meetings.
• Good standing is defined as no more than 2 unexcused absences per semester.
2. Attended by either the RSO President or Vice President.
1. If the RSO President or Vice President cannot attend, it must be communicated to the President of SGA at least a week in advance
• A designee of the RSO’s executive team may attend the meeting in lieu of the President or Vice President after the SGA President’s approval.

II. Be an Active RSO

• Complete monthly oversight forms.
• Sit on SGA Standing Committees or other University Committees as requested by the SGA Vice President.

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SGA Payment Request Guidelines

I. Submissions

A. Submission Requirements

1. All requests for funding should be submitted to the SGA Treasurer using the appropriate form link on the SGA website. Only Registered Student Organizations in good standing are eligible to request funding from the SGA.
2. The maximum amount of funding that can be requested at any one time is $1,500.00.
3. All funding requests must be for expenditures to be made during the current fiscal year (July 1-June 30).
4. All requests should include the proper request form and all necessary supporting documentation.
5. All requests lacking the proper supporting documentation will be returned to the organization or individual that submitted the request. Requests may be re-submitted once all proper documentation has been collected.
6. All requests for pre-payments to purchase goods or services must be presented to the SGA Treasurer at least 30 business days (Monday thru Friday) prior to the date that funds are needed. Whenever possible, all purchases should be made utilizing state-approved vendors (ex. Amazon, Staples). Requests for pre-payments to purchase goods or services from vendors that have not already been approved by the USG purchasing system must be submitted at least 60 working days prior to the date that funds are needed. Please note that it can take 2-4 weeks for new vendors to receive state approval.
   • SAS Approved Vendors List
7. Funding requests for purchases from local vendors of less than $100.00 may be processed utilizing petty cash. This will be determined on a case-by-case basis. Please note that CSU is exempt from paying sales tax. A sales tax exemption form will be available in the Office of Student Affairs. This form will need to be picked up from Student Affairs and presented to the vendor at the time of purchase. If the vendor will not accept this form, the sales tax will be the responsibility of the individual or student organization making the purchase. There will be no reimbursements for sales tax.
8. All requests for pre-payments involving travel must be presented to the SGA Treasurer at least 60 business days (Monday thru Friday) prior to the start date of the travel. Travel pre-payment requests must be accompanied by all mandatory Student Travel Forms for each student for whom funds are being requested. Registered Student Organizations should work with their Advisors to make sure that all paperwork is completed accurately and that all necessary approval signatures are obtained before submission to the SGA.
9. The following Student Travel forms must be completed in order for the funding request to be considered:
   • Student Travel Application Form (One form for group.)
   • Student Field Trip & Travel Approval Form (One form for group.)
   • Release & Waiver of Liability Form (Must be completed for each student participating in the trip.)
   • Student Travel Advance/Pre-Pay Authorization Form (One form for group.)
   • Note: These forms must contain all of the required approval signatures or they will not be considered. All Student Travel Paperwork Forms can be found using this link:
     Student Travel Procedures - Columbus State University
10. Registration Fees are typically the only component of student travel that can be paid for in advance. In some cases, it may be possible to issue a pre-payment check for lodging. However, the lodging registration will need to be made using a personal credit card. The Registered Student Organization (RSO) requesting a lodging pre-payment will be responsible for obtaining a W-9 Form from the vendor hotel (if necessary), and also written confirmation that the hotel will accept a University check. If the hotel will accept a check as payment, the check will be issued to a representative from the RSO, who will then be responsible for presenting it as payment to the hotel at check-in.
11. Due to a change in University Policy, reimbursements will be considered on an extremely limited basis. As there are pre-payment options available, student groups and organizations are strongly encouraged to plan ahead.
12. All requests for funding for the purchase of t-shirts must begin with the Registered Student Organization contacting Kaylyn Carlisle in the Office of Strategic Communication and Marketing for approval of the t-shirt design.
13. After receiving approval from Kaylyn Carlisle, the RSO should meet with CSU Printing Services. Printing Services can provide assistance with graphic design, and will also work with the student or organization to obtain quotes from local, state-approved vendors. These price quotes will need to accompany the online funding request submitted to the SGA.

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II. Approvals

A. Approval Process

1. Submission of Funds Request to SGA Treasurer

1. As payment requests are received, the SGA Treasurer should meet with the Coordinator of the Office of Student Affairs to review them to ensure that request forms have been completed properly, and that all necessary supporting documentation has been submitted.
2. Any requests that are not submitted in the proper format with all required supporting documentation will be returned to the submitting organization or individual. Organizations are strongly encouraged to work with their advisors on the preparation of all documentation before submission to the SGA.
3. After completion of the initial review, the SGA Treasurer will make a preliminary decision about each request, and refer the request(s) to the appropriate approving authority (SGA Executive Committee or SGA Senate).
4. The SGA Treasurer should maintain a record of all requests received. This record should include notations of which approving authority processed the request as well as the final decision made regarding approval or denial. The SGA Treasurer should be prepared to provide monthly updates on the status of all requests accepted for consideration.

2. SGA Approval of Funding Requests

1. Funding requests for less than $250.00 will be approved or denied by the SGA President and Treasurer.
2. Funding requests for $250.00 or above require the following:
   • Approval by the Cougar Allocation Committee.
   • Sponsorship by an SGA Senator from the Cougar Allocation Committee. The Cougar Allocation Committee is comprised of 7 Senators (1 for each college and 1 At-Large). The SGA Treasurer is Chair of the committee.
3. Funding requests for $500.00 or above must be approved by the majority of Senators in the Sitting of the Senate.
4. The SGA Treasurer shall have veto equal to that of the SGA President in all matters concerning budget approval and revisions to the SGA budget.
5. To avoid any conflict of interest, it is strongly suggested that individual SGA Officers not make any determination regarding payment requests from groups or organizations (fraternity, sorority, service club, etc.) with which he or she has any type of affiliation.
6. Approval or denial of funding requests will be communicated to the requesting student organization by the SGA Treasurer.
7. All payment requests approved by the SGA should be signed by either the President or Treasurer, and then forwarded with all supporting documentation to the Office of Student Affairs. The Office of Student Affairs will review all of the documentation and then forward to the Office of Business and Finance for final processing.

Please note: To be considered for funding during Fall Semester 2022, all requests must be received between August 15 and October 16, 2022. Requests received after October 16, 2022, will not be considered until the beginning of Spring Semester 2023 (January 18, 2023). The deadline for Spring Semester funding requests submissions will be determined at the beginning of Spring Semester 2023.

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SGA Funding Requests and Travel

Required Forms For Travel