Several more groups have applied for portions of the $25,000 in funding the Diversity Committee controls after the committee began a marketing campaign this month in an attempt to fulfill their role as a funding board for student organizations, according to first-year Senator and committee-member Lena Chhay.
“We’ve received more proposals,” said Chhay. “I don’t really know if that’s because of our campaigning, but I think that having people know [that] that is our duty helps.”
The Undergraduate Student Government (USG) provides $25,000 in funding to the committee each year, which is meant to subsidize and help fund events.
The Diversity Committee, which is made up of 14 members, advertised the campaign using flyers around campus and on Driscoll Bridge, as well as through the recent USG residence hall forums, which are ongoing. The forums consist of small groups of USG leaders and Senators who meet with residents about the committee’s role on campus.
“[We are] primarily a funding board for student organizations hosting events that promote diversity and inclusive excellence on this campus,” said Katrina Yoshida, Diversity Committee chair and USG senator. “Diversity Committee also strives to promote diversity on this campus through its own events, campaigns and working and collaborating with various departments, organizations and people on campus.”
Chhay also said the board’s mission and presence on campus needed to be stepped up.
“It’s not really new organizations that we’re giving funding to,” said Chhay. “We’ve always been a funding board and people could just come to us for funding. We feel like our mission isn’t really clear to people now, so we’re trying to take that initiative to advertise to let people know we are a funding committee.”
Chhay said in the past, only a few student groups took advantage of the Diversity Committee’s budget.
“We wanted to make sure we were providing funding for people, especially if they were going to promote diversity in their event,” Chhay said.
Yoshida said the mission of the committee is to increase diversity and advocate for inclusive excellence at DU.
“[We are] just really involved people dedicated to making this campus a better place,” she said.
