Request for Services and Activities Funding for the 2014-2015 School Year

TO: Services and Activities Fee Committee FROM: Africana Studies Program Contact: LaToya Brackett, Coordinator DATE: 1/31/2014 SUBJECT: Request for Services and Activities Funding for the 2014-2015 School Year Your meeting is scheduled for: Location: The following questions should be answered in narrative format and submitted along with the S&A Excel spreadsheet to the Services and Activities Fee Committee by February 7, 2014. You may EMAIL them to tking2@ewu.edu or deliver them in hard copy to the Student Accounting Office in SHW 125. These questions will provide the basic information necessary for the S&A Committee to evaluate the request for funding. All questions should be answered to the best of your ability and as completely as possible. Please answer each question individually. Programs may also submit an additional narrative outlining their proposal as well as any materials which will assist the Committee in its deliberations. Budget Questions 1. Please provide an explanation of how the program plans to spend the budget in each line item of the Budget Request Form (Excel spreadsheet), including an explanation of increases or decreases from the previous year s request. Items that are vague, such as contact services should be clearly explained. Compensation (provide explanation for each type): Personal Service Contracts: Brown Bag Speaker Series: Africana Studies would like to hold 3 Brown Bags next year; a brown bag is a lecture or talk given by someone, with a particular knowledge, to students over the lunch hour. Some brown bags require the audience to bring their own Page 1

food; Africana would like to ask for funds to provide the food for the audience. There will be one brown bag per quarter, to enhance the knowledge of students on three major topics; applying to and knowledge about graduate school, the importance of networking and how to do it, and managing and crafting one s professional identity in the digital age. We would like to bring in three speakers; two for the first two topics would be alumni who were successful in these realms, and also a nationally known person to discuss professional identity. The fees here would be for the speakers fees and also their travel to the university. The purpose of the Ins & Outs of Graduate School brown bag would be for the students to gain knowledge about the process of applying to graduate school. Information to be covered would be: what s a personal statement, what s a writing sample, what s a Research One school, what type of funding can one receive, what s the best funding options, what type of environment would one be most productive in based on their academic experience? Those are some of the things that could be covered in this discussion. $250.00 would be for this speaker s fees. The purpose of the Why and How to Network would be for students to learn the importance and benefits of networking. Information to be covered in this brown bag would be: where can one network, what is the definition of networking, what are the benefits of networking, how can one share their resume or curriculum vitae, what are the best ways to network virtually? There would be examples of good resumes, and the basic outline of producing a good resume so students can work towards presenting themselves well. There would also be some time at the end of this brown bag, or later in the day, for community members to join in a networking event with the students so students can get a feel for what networking is like. The networking event would also occur so students can gain the benefits of networking here in the Spokane area. $250.00 would be for this speaker s fees. The purpose of the Managing and Crafting your Professional Identity in the Digital Age brown bag would be to inform students about the importance of presentation not only in person but also virtually. Information to be covered in this brown bag would be: what is a professional identity, what are the key components in meeting someone for the first time, what is the best way to compose a professional email address, what is the best way to compose a professional email, what is the best way to compose a professional voicemail, how can one avoid having professionals learn too much about them via social media, how should one s social media sites be composed, what are the dangers of social media in the professional world? $1,000.00 would be for the speaker s fee. This is a good one and could probably be done in collaboration with Career Services Having guest speakers who are experts on certain topics is always beneficial to a group of novices. According to Arizona State University, there are differences between experts and novices. An expert is someone who has a high degree of proficiency, skill, and knowledge in a particular subject. Experts are able to effectively think about and solve problems. They see patterns in information and are able to identify solutions. Experts develop extensive knowledge that impacts the way they identify problems, organize and interpret data, and formulate solutions. Page 2

Their approach to reasoning and solving problems is different from that of a novice. Having an expert to talk about some of the most important aspects to a college student s future can only aid in their development. I think the most expert person for these brown bags would be the person talking about professional identity in the digital age. Being a student in the digital age is very different from being a professional and it is essential that EWU students learn about how to conduct themselves professionally in this digital age. These brown bags would be a great asset to the students. Cross Cultural Leadership and Collaboration Summit: This would be summit over a two day span for students from various cultural groups. Students of African descent, Latino/Chicano descent, American Indian decent, Asian descent and students from the Pride center, Women s studies and representatives from the ASEWU would all be present at this summit. There has been discussion amongst students and staff to have a cross cultural collaboration between the groups on campus; something they can all come together and work on. At the proposed summit students will discuss what their respective groups need help with and what they are working currently on. After such a discussion the groups would come together and discuss what they would like to work on as a group. At the end of the summit students would have a project or a few that they will work on collaboratively over the next academic year. During this summit students will also learn leadership skills; the students chosen for the trip would already be leaders in the making at EWU. There will need to be contracts made with professionals that can assist the students in learning about how to be leaders in their own groups but also cross culturally. There will be a session on working with diverse groups. There will be an activity to help students learn more about each other and each group. One session should be on how to manage being a student leader and a good student. Also there would be a session on how to publicize and gain a strong following. This summit would be different than anything else EWU has offered similar to this because the students attending would already be active and would be in a space where they will learn together and work together to build alliances. This would have an outcome, rather than just ideas shared without action. It is important to get diverse and well versed presenters for these types of topics. $2,000.00 The ASEWU Diversity Outreach Representative believes this summit would be a great asset to the EWU community: "As the current Diversity Outreach Representative for the student body I cannot stress enough how vital it is to support leadership within our diverse community. Eastern is a very diverse university and although we are very proud of this fact we must also understand what diversity means to our students. As such we must continue to support the endeavors of these underrepresented groups on campus. " Other Contract Services: Page 3

The funds here would be used to pay for the lodging and food for the Brown Bag speakers. Depending on what area of the U.S. they are traveling from, they will need a room for one to two days and also meals for that time frame. $3,000.00 Presenters for the Summit will need payment for presenting and also any travel cost. These individuals should be from nearby areas for less travel expenses, and will only be present for their presentation time. There will be no overnight costs. $1,000 will cover presenter fees and travel costs for five presenters. Travel: Travel for Summit: The destination for the summit has yet to be decided upon, but it would be within driving distance of Cheney. The cost of a bus would be required and the cost of two nights in a hotel/conference center will also need to be taken care of. We plan to take 4-5 students from each cultural group which could add up to 35 students. This would require about 18 rooms and a bus to transport. $5,000.00 Supplies: General Supplies: Africana will need funds for promotional items, informational brochures, paper supplies, flyers, and office supplies. $1,500.00 Supplies for summit: The summit will require materials for the training the students will receive (handouts, manuals, writing utensils, t-shirts). $500.00 Equipment: For the summit, the conference center may require extra cost for equipment rental for presentations. $250.00 Other: Food funding for Brown Bags: Funding will be needed for the lunches provided for the brown bags. $1,000.00 Food funding for the Summit: Food will need to be provided for the students at the summit. The conference center may have breakfast provided, but we will have to provide two lunches and two dinners (First day and second day). $1,500.00 Extra funding for currently in place events: Africana would also like to use services and activities funds to provide additional funding for the Africana Studies Program s four major student programming activities of the year: Shirley Graham DuBois Fall Lecturer, Black History Month events, Keepers of the Dream Award and Recognition Ceremony, and the Africana Studies Graduation. Page 4

I have asked for assistance for these programs because the increase in available funds for these programs will enhance the activities and enable us to increase our student attendance and our exposure to the campus. The majority of the costs are covered but we would like to add refreshments to these events. We would like to allow for light refreshments for our fall lecturer during a reception to meet the students. Black History month is vital to Africana Studies, and every year we look to do more for the EWU community and the Cheney and Spokane communities. With more funds we can incorporate light refreshments after each panel discussion where we have outside panelists. At this time the panelists can continue discussion with students. Our Keepers of the Dream Award and Recognition Ceremony is very important to EWU, as it brings recognition to the students of African descent who are doing well and to those doing exceptional work in Africana education. The ceremony already incorporates light refreshments, but this is a time of celebration and we would like to enhance the refreshments in possibility to have a light meal for our award recipients and their guests. Also in acknowledging the students we have a graduation every year. We would like to expand our refreshments for the graduating seniors and also for their families who are at the ceremony. Celebrations are best when people break bread together with common joy. $2,000.00 2. How many students utilize the services and activities provided by your program? Describe how statistics are obtained and provide demographics on graduate, undergraduate, male, female or other categories you believe important and relevant to your unit. Beginning last academic year Africana Studies requires that students who use the lounge sign in upon entering. In the academic year of 2012-2013 the Africana Studies offices had 944 students use the lounge space or come see faculty and staff. In the Fall of 2013 131 students signed in. Currently we are seeing approximately 10 students come in a day. When Africana holds events we will begin taking a head count of the students represented. This will be in full effect in February during our Black History Month events. Africana Studies is frequented by all types of students. In our lounge we hold plus groups, organization meetings, and students come to use the computers, study and socialize it is a rather diverse group. We do not currently record demographics of students officially. 3. Does your program provide employment opportunities for students? Please explain the nature of student employment within your unit, including total FTE and number of students employed. Africana Studies employs two students currently, one undergraduate and one graduate assistant. Our undergraduate assistant helps the Africana secretary with daily tasks and she assists other faculty and staff with tasks she is qualified to help Page 5

with. She also is a part time tutor for Africana courses. She works approximately 16 hours a week. Our Graduate assistant helps the coordinator with outreach and retention efforts for Africana students. He also runs a plus group in the Africana lounge and is a TA for one of the Africana faculty. The GA works approximately 20 hours a week. 4. How do you gauge the effectiveness of the services and activities you provide to students? Is student input collected and used in this process? If your unit has an advisory committee, in what capacity is it involved in your budgeting process? Africana Studies mainly tracks the effectiveness of our services and activities through attendance. Our lounge has a notebook for students to sign in, and we also count students at student organization meetings and we will begin tracking attendance at all events. Just recently Africana Studies has begun to use surveys to assess the needs of our students. We will also be instituting brief surveys at the end of our scheduled events to assess if students enjoyed the event and if and what they learned from it. Africana does not have an advisory committee. 5. How do you ensure that student fees do not subsidize non-student uses? If previous requests have included statistical analysis on this point, please provide similar analysis using this year s demographics. Africana Studies is a program for students of African descent and students interested in Africana knowledge nevertheless; the space and resources are made available to all students. Due to this the services, activities and resources are directed for students learning, enjoyment and use. Africana can assure you that the funds we may potentially receive from Services & Activities would be utilized for the students specifically. 6. Have alternative (non-s&a Fee) funding sources been pursued to the fullest possible extent? If yes, please elaborate. To what extent does your unit rely on earned income? How much of that revenue is obtained directly from students? The Africana Studies Program has applied for and received grant funding from a couple other sources. Last year Africana received the Start Something Big grant which was used for a Students of Color Symposium. Africana applied for the college equipment grant last year and received funds to purchase tablets for student use to help reduce textbook costs for students. Are there any long term obligations associated with this funding request? There are no long term obligations associated with this funding request. 7. Was your 2013-2014 S&A Fee allotment increased, decreased or unchanged from the 2012-2013 amount? What was the overall impact on your organization and its ability to Page 6

serve students? How closely are your actual expenditures aligning with the budget presented to last year s Committee? Africana Studies did not apply for this funding last year. 8. What is the impact to service to students if your request is not funded or lowered? If the funds are not received students will miss out on the following information and experiences; the next steps after college, how to network and how to maintain a professional identity. Students at EWU will also miss out on a great opportunity to start something big by bringing together all cultures on campus for a common cause or goal. The proposed summit could bring a multicultural atmosphere to campus that some students feel is lacking. The programs Africana holds every year will lose the opportunity to be better with the assistance of funding for refreshments which can add to the overall appeal of the program. 9. What are three new initiatives for future years? Alumni mentoring program: This program would be an effort to bring current students together with alumni and for students to gain knowledge about life after college. Students will be paired with alumni in fields similar to the student s interest in order to gain the best guidance from the alumni. Alternative Spring Break: Africana Studies is currently discussing putting together an alternative spring break for Africana students, not only at EWU but also at Spokane Community College. The two institutions will come together to take students to the Westside in order to experience cultural knowledge through museums and any other historical or informational sites. The students will also partake in a service project for the Africana community in that area. National Council for Black Studies Conference: In the future Africana Studies would like to take some students to the National Council for Black Studies Conference in order for them to participate in the conference proceedings by sharing a research project, attending sessions, and meeting students and scholars in the Black Studies field. This conference is usually held in March. Africana would like to work with some students on their chosen research and prepare them for presentation on the national stage. It would also be good for these students to use their research for a presentation at the EWU Student Research and Creative Works Symposium which is held in May. The insight students will gain at the Black Studies Conference would be beneficial in further developing their research projects and would make their work even better for the EWU Symposium. Because this is a national conference the location can be anywhere within the Page 7

United States. Africana would want to make sure we can take care of the travel and lodging expenses for the students. Page 8

Services and Activities Fee Committee 2014-2015 Budget Request Form (Services and Activities Fee Funding Only) Program Name (Budget Number): Note: this worksheet is for Services and Activities Fee budget only, if your program receives funding from other sources you must also complete the Total Budget form on the next tab of this worksheet. Services and Activities Fee Budget Request 2011-2012 Budget 2011-2012 Actual 2011-2012 Budget vs. Actual 2012-2013 Budget 2012-2013 Actual 2012-2013 Budget vs. Actual Current Year Budget 2013-2014 2014-2015 Request Increase/(Decrease) Current Year Request to Prior Year Budget Services and Activities Fee Revenue (510) - - - - - - - - - EXPENSES Compensation Classified (631) - - - - - - - - - Administrative Exempt (610) - - - - - - - - - Graduate Student Appointment (624) - - - - - - - - - Temp/Hourly Student Wages (660) - - - - - - - - - Taxes and Benefits - - - - - - - - - Total Compensation - - - - - - - - - Operations/ Direct Expense(700) Personal Service Contracts - - - - - - - 3,500 3,500 Other Contract Services - - - - - - - 4,000 4,000 Travel - - - - - - - 5,000 5,000 Supplies - - - - - - - 2,000 2,000 Equipment - - - - - - - 250 250 Other - - - - - - - 4,500 4,500 Total Operations - - - - - - - 19,250 19,250 Total Expenses - - - - - - - 19,250 19,250 Operating Budget Surplus (Deficit) - - - - - - - (19,250) (19,250) Unexpended and Returned to S&A Fund - - Instructions: If your program has received S&A funding in the prior year the request that was submitted last year will be sent to you as a reference upon your request. If this is the first time your program has requested S&A funding the historical information should be left blank. If you need additional information contact Terri King at tking2@ewu.edu SAF Only Budget Form Page 1