Student organizations at Washburn University can still request funding from the Washburn Student Government Association for the spring semester. This money comes from student fees and helps clubs and groups pay for events, supplies and travel costs.
“There are different types of funding requests students can make,” said Cameron Meske, WSGA legislative director. “Students can ask for money if they are part of a student organization or a student group. The most they can get is around $4,000 to $5,000.”
Alex Timm, allocations committee chairperson, also shared insights about WSGA’s funding. He mentioned that student development grants originally had a budget of $20,000 for the year, but due to high demand, an additional $5,000 was allocated. By mid-January, the funds were already used up, leading to discussions about adding another $20,000 to ensure funding continues for the rest of the academic year.
With the low supply of student funds for the spring semester, all grant requests will be suspended until July 1 of this year. The suspension only applies to individual grants and will not affect student organization requests.
“The original amount went faster than expected, so we are working to secure more funding,” Timm said.
When students’ or organizations’ requests are granted, they can use the money for food, supplies or travel. However, the money does not go to the organization directly. WSGA uses a reimbursement system, which means groups have to pay first and then submit receipts to get their money back.
WSGA also gives money through student development grants. Nick Lloyd, WSGA budget director, explained how these grants work.
“We have two types of requests: student organization requests and grant requests,” Lloyd said. “If a student group is registered with the Office of Student Involvement and Development, they can apply for funding through WSGA. If a student is an undergraduate and pays the student activity fee, they can also request a grant to help with educational opportunities like attending conferences.”
WSGA gets its money from student activity fees, which every Washburn student pays as part of tuition. Each Washburn student pays the fee of $58.50 to fund organizations like the Campus Activities Board and Student Media with the majority of the funds going to WSGA.
This money helps pay for student grants, club funding and programs like student health vouchers and the Bods Feeding Bods initiative.
WSGA funding helps improve student life at Washburn by making sure clubs and students have the money they need to stay active and involved on campus. If students are interested in requesting funding or want to learn more, visit WSGA’s website or email wsga.budget@washburn.edu.
Edited by Jeremy Ford.
