ASSU Documentation

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====== Article III: Funding ======

===== Section 1: General =====

==== A. The Usual Method for Approving Allocations ====
    - Unless otherwise specified in the Constitution, the Association By-Laws, or these By-Laws, all allocations of funds shall be made by majority vote of the members of the US.
    - Decisions involving funds must be made publicly available within one week of the US meeting at which they were made.
    - Unless otherwise specified in the Constitution, the Association By-Laws, or these By-Laws, the members of the US may, by a majority vote, override any allocation of funds. This may only take place at the first US meeting after the minutes of the meeting at which the initial allocation occurred are made publicly available.

==== B. Transfer of Funds ====
Transfers of funds from a group's reserve account to its operating account shall be done by the Usual Method for Approving Allocations.

==== C. Schedule ====
    - The Undergraduate Student General Fee may be disbursed on the first day of the school year in the case of early discretionary funding or within five days of approval of the request by the US for rolling allocations. All Special Fees shall be available on the first day of the school year.
    - A portion of the USGF shall be allocated during Spring Quarter for the first few weeks of the following academic year. The remainder shall be reserved for quarterly allocations.
    - Quarterly allocations shall be made on a rolling basis. Funds may be made available for the remainder of the current quarter, for subsequent quarters, or for the remainder of the fiscal year.

==== D. Funding Role and Membership of the Appropriations Committee ====
    - The Appropriations Committee shall review funding and Special Fee requests from all Voluntary Student Organizations, and present a recommendation on each to the US.
    - The Appropriations Committee shall consist of a subset of the members of the US.
    - No member of the US shall formulate a recommendation for a request from a VSO of which s/he is a member.
    - The procedure for formulation and review of requests shall be specified in the US Funding Policies.

==== E. Budget ====
    - A yearly budget shall be assembled for USGF expenditures and shall be presented to the US body for majority approval.
    - The US Chair, the US Deputy Chair, the Chair of the Appropriations Committee, the US Treasurer, and the FM shall be responsible for assembling the yearly budget.
    - This budget shall be presented no later than at the first meeting of the US during fall quarter of the senatorial term.
    - With the exception of early discretionary funding, the US shall not appropriate any USGF funds until a budget has been passed.
    - The USGF expenditure budget shall include:
      - A cap on total USGF expenditures.
      - A monthly guideline for expenditures, with requirements for monthly or quarterly presentations on the activity of the Appropriations Committee to the Senate body by the Chair of the Appropriations Committee.
    - The US shall only exceed the established budget with 2/3 approval for each individual appropriation request.

===== Section 2: Undergraduate Student General Fee =====

==== A. General ====
     - The terms "Undergraduate Student General Fee" and "USGF" shall be used to refer collectively to all General Fees paid exclusively by undergraduates.
     - The overall budget of the USGF for the current year shall be published in quarterly installments online.
     - Elected and appointed officers and staff members of the Association may inspect and make public the financial records of any VSO receiving funds from the USGF, except as specified in the Constitution, the Association By-Laws and Policies, or these By-Laws.

==== B. Partitioning of USGF ====
     - The USGF shall consist of two partitions. The first shall be called the //Programming and Community Service Fund,// and the second shall be called the //Publications Fund//.
     - The Programming and Community Service Fund shall consist of the Undergraduate Programming and Community Service fee while the Publications Fund shall consist of the Undergraduate Publications fee.

==== C. ASSU Publications ====
     - Definitions
       - Member Publication\\ A //member publication// shall be defined as any VSO registered with the Office of Student Activities as a publications group that has printed an issue in at least one of the three quarters preceding the moment of consideration.
       - Non-Funded Publication\\ A //non-funded member publication// shall be defined as a member publication that has not received any ASSU Publications General Fee funds for at least one quarter preceding the moment in consideration, and that has printed at least one issue in that time without use of Publications General Fee monies.
     - ASSU Publications Director
       - Selection and Term
          - The ASSU Publications Director shall be selected Spring Quarter by a committee chosen by the outgoing Publications Director in consultation with the outgoing US Chair, subject to approval by the incoming US.
          - The ASSU Publications Director shall serve under the governance of the US.
       - Duties
         - The ASSU Publications Director shall coordinate and represent the interests of all member publications.
         - The ASSU Publications Director shall work to develop current publications and assist new ones.
         - The ASSU Publications Director shall chair both the ASSU Publications Board and the ASSU Publications Funding Committee.
         - The ASSU Publications Director shall serve as a source of information through which member publications can share experiences and knowledge.
         - The ASSU Publications Director shall serve as the chief administrator of the Publications Fund.
         - The ASSU Publications Director shall report to the US the state of the Publications Fund.
         - The ASSU Publications Director shall inform member publications of their Publications Fund allocation and ensure they receive their funding.
     - ASSU Assistant Publications Director
       - Selection and Term
         - The ASSU Assistant Publications Director shall be selected Spring Quarter by the same committee charged with selecting the incoming Publications Director, subject to approval by the incoming US.
         - The ASSU Assistant Publications Director shall serve at the joint discretion of the Publications Director and the US.
       - Duties
         - The ASSU Assistant Publications Director shall serve as a liaison between member publications and the Publications Director.
         - The ASSU Assistant Publications Director shall be charged with storing records of ASSU Publications General Fee appropriations, in consultation with the ASSU Publications Director.
         - The ASSU Assistant Publications Director shall be responsible for recording and archiving the proceedings of all meetings of the ASSU Publications Board and the ASSU Publications Funding Committee.
         - In the event that the ASSU Publications Director is absent, has been suspended, or has been removed, the ASSU Assistant Publications Director shall perform the Director’s duties until the Director returns, the Director’s suspension has been overturned, or a new Director has been appointed.
         - In the event that the ASSU Assistant Publications Director is absent, has been suspended, or has been removed, the duties of the ASSU Assistant Publications Director shall fall to the ASSU Publications Director.
     - ASSU Publications Board
       - Selection and Term \\ The ASSU Publications Board shall be selected at the start of each Autumn Quarter by the leadership of each of the various groups entitled to representation on the Board, pursuant to the criteria defined in section (c). Members of the Publications Board shall be appointed for the full duration of a given academic year, subject to the discretion of each represented group’s leadership.
       - Duties
         - To promote a sense of community among the various member publications.
         - To serve as a centralized forum for discussion of issues germane to the Stanford student publications community.
         - To facilitate the creation of ad hoc committees consisting of representatives of various publications brought together for the purpose of serving particular needs of the Publications community (including but not limited to the issues of advertising, distribution, layout, and staff training).
         - To advise and assist the Publications Director in discharging his duties.
         - To serve as an impartial arbiter in disputes between member publications in cases in which both parties apply to the Board for arbitration.
       - Membership \\ Eligibility for membership on the Publications Board belongs to the following: one representative of each //member publication//, one US representative, one Office of Student Activities representative, the Assistant Publications Director, and the Publications Director.
       - Procedure\\ Publication Board meetings should follow the following standard protocol:
         - Meeting Frequency
           - Publications Board meetings will take place once every two months, on a date determined by the Publications Director in consultation with the other Publications Board members.
           - //Ad hoc// committee meetings will take place on an as-needed basis.
        - Agenda
          - At the start of each meeting, a consensus will be reached on issues that will constitute the agenda for the next meeting.
          - Any member of the Publications Board may propose an agenda item, either via e-mail to the Publications Director or Assistant Publications Director or at a meeting for that meeting or the next meeting.
          - The Assistant Publications Director and the Publications Director are jointly charged with setting an agenda for meetings of the Publications Board.
          - For //ad hoc// committee meetings, the given committee’s chair is charged to work with the Assistant Publications Director to prepare meeting agendas.
          - The agenda for each meeting will be released via e-mail to all Publications Board members by 11:59PM the day before a meeting.
        - Decisions
          - Unless otherwise stated, decisions of the Publications Board are taken by consensus.
          - Decisions of the Publications Board and its //ad hoc// committees may be either advisory or binding. After each decision of the Publications Board is made, another decision should immediately be made as to the advisory or binding nature of the decision.
     - ASSU Publications Funding Committee
       - Selection and Term \\ The ASSU Publications Funding Committee shall be selected at the start of each Autumn Quarter by the leadership of each of the various groups entitled to representation on the Committee, pursuant to the criteria defined in section (c). Members of the Publications Funding Committee shall be appointed for the full duration of a given academic year, subject to the discretion of each represented group’s leadership.
       - Duties\\ The Funding Committee is charged with administration of the Publications General Fee funds. To this end, the Committee shall each year, as early as is practicable, release a set of general criteria for funding interviews. The Funding Committee is also empowered to create //ad hoc// committees in emergency situations when decision-making by the Publications Board proves impracticable, where “impracticability” will be determined at the discretion of the Publications Director.
       - Membership
         - The membership of the Funding Committee is as follows: one representative of each //non-funded member publication//, one US representative, one Office of Student Activities representative, the Assistant Publications Director, and the Publications Director.
         - A non-funded member publication may lose its non-funded status in a number of ways – loss of Special Fees or loss of outside funding leading to a request to the Publications Funding Committee for supplemental or emergency funding.
         - In such cases, a member publication will once again qualify for non-funded status provided that it
           - has gone at least one full quarter without receiving ASSU Publications General Fee monies and
           - has printed at least one issue without use of Publications General Fee monies in that time.
       - Procedure
         - Meeting Frequency \\ Funding Committee meetings will take place once every two weeks, on a day determined by the Publications Director in consultation with the other Funding Committee members.
         - Agenda
           - Any member of the Publications Funding Committee may propose an agenda item, either via e-mail to the Assistant Publications Director or at a meeting for that meeting or the next meeting.
           - The Assistant Publications Director and the Publications Director are jointly charged with setting an agenda for meetings of the Funding Committee.
           - The agenda for each meeting will be released via e-mail to all Funding Committee members by 11:59PM the day before a meeting.
         - Decisions
           - Unless otherwise stated, decisions of the Publications Funding Committee are taken by consensus.
           - Decisions of the Funding Committee are binding in all cases, subject to registration of a complaint with the Publications Director. Any Funding Committee member may file such a complaint. Means of response are at the discretion of the Publications Director.
     - The Funding Process
       - Eligibility \\ Any student organization registered with the OSA and not receiving Special Fees may request funding from the ASSU Publications General Fee for the printing of any //regular printed publication//, the terms of which will be defined in the individual funding guidelines of the Publications Funding Committee.
       - Applications \\ To be reviewed, ASSU Publications funding and publications Special Fee requests shall contain the following information, in separate sections:
         - For Publications General Fee funding requests:
           - The name of the member publication requesting funds.
           - The name(s), email address(es), and phone number(s) of the representative(s) of the member publication making the request.
           - The ASSU account number of the member publication.
           - A certification that the publication will comply with all terms and conditions for use of funds specified in the Constitution, the Association By-Laws and Policies, the US By-Laws and Policies, and the allocation approved by the US.
         - For publications Special Fee requests:
           - The name of the member publication requesting the fee.
           - The name(s), email address(es), and phone number(s) of the representative(s) of the member publication make the request.
           - The ASSU account number of the member publication.
           - A brief description of the nature of the publication, planned circulation and distribution, and plans for current and future growth.
           - A budget, following the format of the sample budget provided by the ASSU Publications Director, containing the following:
           - The time period for which the allocation would be effective
           - An itemization of all sources of funding and all expenses.
           - Line item numbers as defined by the Students' Organizations Fund.
           - A description of each line item as necessary.
       - Guide \\ To assist member publications in the preparation of Publications General Fee applications, the ASSU Publications Funding Committee shall publish a guide describing the goals of ASSU Publications, the terms and conditions for use of ASSU Publications General Fee funds, and all application procedures, and containing a sample application and funding agreement form.
       - Applications\\ Applications shall be kept on file and made available by the ASSU Publications Director and Assistant Publications Director.
       - Recommendations\\ The Publications Funding Committee shall prepare a brief recommendation to the US regarding each proposal. At the first US meeting after the preparation of the recommendation, the ASSU Publications Director shall summarize the application and present the Committee's recommendations for US approval.
     - Terms and Conditions for Use of Funds
       - Notification\\ The ASSU Publications Director shall notify a member publication when funds become available to it.
       - Extensions\\ The US Chair may, at her/his discretion, grant extensions to the ending date of an allocation to ensure that all transactions are cleared. No extension may be granted beyond the end of the fiscal year to which the allocation applies.
       - Reclamation\\ Unless otherwise specified by the US, title to all tangible property purchased, in whole or in part, through the use of funds from the USGF shall vest with the ASSU, and possession shall devolve upon the ASSU in the event of the dissolution of the member publication possessing the property.
       - Dissolution\\ 
         - A member publication shall be considered to be dissolved upon the receipt of a declaration of dissolution by its membership, failure to register with the Office of Student Activities for 15 months, or after a declaration of dissolution by the US following reasonable efforts to contact the last known officers of the member publication.
         - All allocations to a member publication shall end upon dissolution of that member publication.
         - The allocation of facilities to a member publication shall remain fixed, as per current facilities usage, until such time as that member publication is considered to be dissolved.
       - Co-Sponsorship\\ Member publications funded by the USGF shall cite ASSU Publications as a sponsor or co-sponsor.
       - Maximum Limit of Appropriations\\ The maximum amount of funds from the USGF that may be allocated to an undergraduate member publication in a single fiscal year is $6,000.
     - Verification
       - Follow-Up Report \\ A member publication receiving an allocation shall submit a follow-up report to the ASSU Publications Director within two weeks of the end of the allocation. The follow-up report shall include copies of all issues of the member publication published during the time period for which the allocation was effective (for the purposes of the ASSU Publications archives), as well as an itemization of the actual expenses incurred by the member publication.
       - Evaluation
         - The US Appropriations Committee may seek independent reports regarding a member publication that has been allocated funds from the USGF.
         - The US Appropriations Committee may recommend disciplinary actions to the US regarding member publications that have been allocated funds from the USGF as it sees fit, in order to protect the reputation and operations of member publications.
     - File\\ Follow-up reports shall be kept on file and made available by the ASSU Publications Director and the Assistant Publications Director.
ASSU Documentation

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