DU’s Undergraduate Student Government (USG) denied Global Brigades their funding request for their annual service trip abroad over spring break. This year they planned on going to Greece. The question then becomes, why was Global Brigades’ appeal rejected if the trip occurs every year?
Before delving into the nuances of this conflict, we must first break down the structure of USG. Beginning this year, USG altered their money distribution channel for student clubs and organizations. In previous years, student groups were allocated a lump sum to last them the entire academic year. It was at each club’s discretion as to how and when they used it. Our government would provide the funds according to what they deemed applicable for each club.
However, not all of the money was being put to effective use. For instance, say Club X only used $4,000 of their allotted $5,000 and still had $1,000 remaining. In numerous cases, Club X would then use up the remaining money on “unnecessary purchases,” such as extra food or club attire, so that in the next year they would still be designated $5,000 instead of getting dropped down to $4,000. Due to this, USG changed its process. Starting in Fall Quarter 2019, they gave each club a base allocation under $1,000 for the entire year to cover weekly meeting expenses. Any large events would need to be submitted via a funding application.
As Global Brigades President, Nyanika Arora, stated, “This year we were allocated $500, which doesn’t even cover basic t-shirts for our club… it was drastic for our club, and we were pretty shocked by that, but also they had told us that this won’t impact the rest of the funding that you can get, because you can apply for more.”
What Arora was referring to is Global Brigades’ base allocation. Base allocations are set aside for each club to use for small purchases such as food, stickers, supplies and etc. Any funding needed above and beyond this simple application must be submitted through a funding application. For requests over $5,000, clubs must present in front of the USG Senate. They will then present for a maximum of ten minutes, at which point the Senate will vote whether or not to fund the request. These policies are communicated in the finance committee manual, Orgs. 101 training and through announcements on the Canvas Student Organizations portal. However, not all organizations were made aware of USG’s changes, thus leading to miscommunication, as Global Brigades prepared a 30-minute presentation that was cut short.
“In the past, we [Global Brigades] have received thousands of dollars, upwards of $20 thousand. It has a precedent of being a very funded club, because of the nature of the club. You know, we require so many materials before we go, hygiene supplies, blood pressure cups, etc., and putting on events and fundraisers. We do a lot of outside fundraising as well to raise those funds, but the entire trip costs a lot of money for our students. The school has always given lots of money to help students pay for this trip.”
Chapters of Global Brigades are centered around providing sustainable development for communities in need, predominantly focusing on diminishing inequalities that are present internationally, therefore requiring significant funds to travel to the location and also provide aid.
They then went through the petition process to garner funds for their trip to Greece. They requested $55,000, figuring USG would probably talk them down. USG’s annual budget for student clubs (excluding club sports) is $200,000.
After Global Brigades’ proposal, USG denied them any funds. According to USG Finance Chair, Tasha Feichtinger, “USG focuses its funds on DU community-oriented events and we want to give all clubs a fair opportunity to be active on campus. We always want to make sure that student organization funding is distributed fairly. Unfortunately, USG does not always have the budget to fund requests this large. At other large universities, Global Brigades members have the opportunity to fundraise to support their organization. The Finance Committee will enthusiastically support Global Brigades in their future fundraising endeavors.”
Global Brigades went through an appeals process, a nine-page document, in which USG still declined any funding. Claiming to be, “a humanitarian, ‘help those in need’ club,” Arora feels that, “they don’t understand what this club is, and the return on investment this club has.”
While Feichtinger admitted that certain members of USG have strong personal beliefs towards Global Brigades mission, she stated that, “Some USG members voted against the funding application, expressing the opinion that the trip played into ‘white savior’ complex.” This is exemplified when Arora said during their presentation, a USG member got up and told them, “You guys aren’t actually making a difference, so please stop saying that you are.”
While one can dispute the professionalism of such a comment, the question becomes, is it USG’s responsibility to help fund this trip or should it be viewed as a non-related entity that requires external funding?
Global Brigades is still going on the trip, with 33 members enrolled. They were able to get enough capital by enlisting the aid of Vice Chancellor, Dr. Liliana Rodriguez, who helped direct the club towards effective ways to raise money for Greece.
