University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh Green Fund Committee Policies and Procedure Manual

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1 University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh Green Fund Committee Policies and Procedure Manual Last Revised: October 22, 2014 Article 1: Purpose and Scope of the Green Fund Committee Section 1.01: The Green Fund Committee (GFC) is a committee of the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh whose purpose is to provide oversight and distribution of Green Funds to qualified student proposals for green initiatives. Furthermore, the GFC is responsible for voting on which proposals to fund and why, within the context of the following articles and sections. Section 1.02: The GFC shall adhere to funding and approving students green initiatives that follow in the spirit of sustainability. More specifically, a green initiative is a proposal that uses the Green Fund mechanism to solicit ideas from students that further benefit UW Oshkosh s sustainability commitments, as well as expands the scope, vision, and depth of the sustainability plan to further create a fair, just, and healthy future for those who learn here. The merits of what constitutes a green initiative are inherently vague, and rightly so, as green and sustainable objectives are ever-changing with the changing living, non-living, political, and economic landscapes. The GFC, all advisors, and both student and staff sustainability directors, with final voting power held by the GFC, shall debate argumentation to the merits of a particular initiative s greenness if necessary. Section 1.03: A green initiative should focus on creating sustainability learning opportunities and a permanent culture that is ecologically, economically, and socially viable, that aims to create more resilient and robust human and non-human communities over time. Proposals that advance a legacy, a sense of place on campus, innovation, and efforts to create a culture of involved and participatory citizens should be encouraged. Section 1.04: The GFC shall follow the Green Fund Rubric, and judge the merits of the proposals based on the cumulative information gathered through the Green Fund Rubric, the proposals sustainability merits: advice from experts, advice and abilities allowed through relevant stakeholders, as well as the overall efficacy and legacy of the proposals to further normalize and institutionalize sustainability efforts on campus. Section 1.05: The GFC can only fund proposals to the amount taken in each year, $3.00 per student, per semester. Funds exceeding this amount can only be allotted if the proposal is going to take place over more than one fiscal year and can only apportion the amount available on a per year basis. Section 1.06: The GFC can use the Green Fund money as well as money solicited through grant writing and donations either to specific proposals or the Green Fund itself. Extra monies obtained will be dealt with in the same manner as normal Green Fund money unless donations or grants were given for specific proposals. In those cases the 1

2 funds will be used for their specific purposes and unused money will be recycled into the main Green Fund for other proposals in the future. Article 2: Purpose of the Policies and Procedures Manual (PPM) Section 2.01: The GFC PPM exists to aid UW Oshkosh GFC members in their understanding of GFC operations, funding policies, and overarching mission. Article 3: Guiding Principles Section 3.01: The GFC shall make funding decisions based on the most current and relevant sustainability data, the Green Fund Rubric, and campus support available through relevant stakeholders and intended through our various sustainability missions, commitments and plans. Section 3.02: The GFC shall not discriminate based on religion, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, veteran status, or political affiliation. Section 3.03: Green Fund initiatives shall align with the following guidelines (the rest of section 3, the Green Fund Rubric, and the Green Fund Application) but shall not be limited to ideas mentioned, as long as they are reasonably perceived to be in the spirit of the original intent of the fund. Section 3.04: Specific guidelines for initiatives including but not limited to: 1. Impact on campus legacy (how will it benefit students, campus, etc.) 2. Additional to what is planned (should not replace business as usual repairs, maintenance, infrastructure, etc., as state funds will eventually do) 3. Shall be very applicable to the sustainability framework ( campus as a living, learning lab - see campus sustainability plan) 4. Must acknowledge and obtain signatures/statements from stakeholders on potential problems or issues implementing proposal prior to proposal submission (facilities, faculty, etc.) 5. Must be implemented on campus property with possible exemptions that shall receive unanimous consent of GFC and stakeholders (including a referendum) 6. Must follow the Green Fund application components (Green Fund Rubric) 7. Shall show or explain various expected values of proposal to the GFC and metrics for measuring success 8. Proposals will be turned into the OSA Sustainability Director, and she/he will act as the point of contact 9. Selected proposals will undergo a secondary screening process by the GFC that will hear proposals from students where they can present their initiatives for approval based on all relevant metrics and guidelines Article 4: Budget Process 2

3 Section 4.01: New Proposal hearings are conducted in the fall semester. Approved funding for Application requests would begin the spring semester. Section 4.02: All UW Oshkosh students are eligible to submit proposals, although no individual will be allowed to submit multiple proposals at one time. Once a proposal has reached completion then the students involved in the project can submit another proposal. Section 4.03: The fall semester will be solely for the approval of new proposals. Section 4.04: The spring semester will be solely focused on the implementation and review of all ongoing proposals, as well as the review of one-time requests for on-going projects. Section 4.05: The GFC can approve as many proposals as their yearly budget will allow. Section 4.06: Each group / individual that wishes to receive funding must provide a completed application covering all of the criteria listed in Article 10, and have it reviewed by the OSA Sustainability Director. If the proposal is not completed correctly, the Chair may choose not to accept it as completed. The committee may agree to penalties for groups who do not follow the correct application requirements, complete the required forms, or submit the wrong (or inadequate) materials for the proposal. Section 4.07: The GFC will annually hold Proposal Hearings for parties seeking funding for a green proposal. All parties will make an appointment and present their budget request for the upcoming fiscal year. At least one student representative of the proposal makes the request. A faculty advisor is encouraged to be there, however, only for advisory purposes. After the presentation, the committee will then ask questions about the current request. Section 4.08: The committee will discuss the proposals and then make a decision based upon the justification for the proposal provided by the requesting group. Section 4.09: One-time requests will only be approved for on-going projects and can be filed in either the fall or spring semester Section 4.10: One-time requests will require a written justification in line with the criteria described in Article 10 Article 5: Funding Process Section 5.01: All funding decisions are based upon a case-by-case basis. Section 5.02: Viewpoint Neutrality 1. Following the decision in the case of Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System v. Southworth, 529, U.S. 217 (2000), the opinion of the 3

4 Supreme Court was, as written by Justice Kennedy:...student groups may not be denied funding based on their viewpoint. 2. In accordance with the Supreme Court ruling, the Green Fund Committee makes funding decisions without respect to religion, gender, disability, political affiliation, age, sexual orientation, veteran status, or race. 3. The Viewpoint Neutrality family of cases allows for decision making in funding organizations to focus on three elements. Those elements are: a. Fiscal responsibility-are the requested funds being used in a manner that is fiscally responsible. b. Service provided-are the funds being used to provide a service to students and the student body. c. Relevance to mission-are the funds being used consistently with the mission of the organization and the institution. Section 5.03: Each funded proposal must have a budget manager who must be at least a half-time student at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh and will be the primary point of contact for the specific project as well as the individual responsible for the accurate accounting of all allocated funds to their specific proposal Section 5.04: A student can only be the budget manager for one proposal at a time. Section 5.05: The GFC will hear funding requests only from students; advisor / faculty participation should be limited to supplemental clarification purposes only. This policy will adhere throughout the entire budget process, including any appeals process Section 5.06: In an effort to ensure that allocated funds are being spent properly, the committee will require groups to submit an annual report. The Chair will review these reports at the end of the fiscal year (June 30) to determine how the funding impacted students and the campus. Section 5.07: Much like budget requests, the specific requirements, due dates, and content may change from year to year, as determined by the committee. Section 5.08: If a group fails to meet the requirements, misrepresents (or omits) information, or does not submit the annual report by its due date the committee may take any of the actions listed in Article 6 including, freeze the group s account, impose monetary penalties, and/or deny future funding Section 5.09: Any requests to transfer funds within a budget between line items, up to $500 or 5% of the total budget, whichever is less, can be approved by the Chair, in consultation with the OSA Sustainability Director, and/or Advisor, without committee approval. In the case that the Chair rejects the transfer, groups may appeal the decision of the Chair to the committee. Transfers above that amount must receive committee 4

5 approval first. All line item transfers must be included in the appendixes of each group s Annual Report. Section 5.10: Groups who do not appear before the committee at their scheduled appointment will be scheduled at the committee s convenience. If a group fails to present by the conclusion of budget hearings, no monies will be allocated. Section 5.11: Presentations must be canceled by at least one hour before the beginning of the GFC meeting Article 6: Limitations for Use of GFC Funds Section 6.01: Funds that have been allocated and are available to groups or individuals, having submitted fully approved proposals, via assigned accounts numbers, will remain under the auspices and control of the GFC. Section 6.02: Individual or groups with accounts for approved funds may only use GFC funds for their approved purposes. The committee must approve any changes in budgetary spending before the allocated dollars are spent. The GFC OSA Sustainability Director shall be the point of contact for students during their work on green initiatives and shall be the first contact with any and all changes, issues, or questions. Section 6.03: An approved and funded green initiative for a predetermined time frame shall not exceed its approved budget during that time frame. If projects are expected to exceed the initial time frame and budget, further costs will be subtracted from the following time frame or may result in further penalties (see article 9). Unused initiative money at the end of a project must be recycled back into the Green Fund. Section 6.04: A green initiative s costs for multi-line-item proposals shall not be exceeded without expressed voting approval from the GFC, which shall form in a timely manner based on the time sensitivity and recommendations by stakeholders, expert advisors, GFC members, OSA, or the OSA Sustainability Director. If a group is unable to meet, a GFC vote should determine the course of action, with appeal available under article 8. Section 6.05: All approved funds for initiatives shall include (when possible) consistently themed signage and the GFC logo onsite and in an appropriate and visible location (determined by the GFC or delegated to the OSA Sustainability Director). The purpose shall be for improving the GFC and sustainability legacy on campus, as well as informational as to the nature of the initiative itself. Section 6.06: It will be considered an agreement between the GFC and any group it funds, that by requesting (and therefore accepting) GFC funding, the group is aware of every GFC policy, agree that they will not violate them, and if they do violate any policies, are aware and accept any and all penalties that are incurred. 5

6 Section 6.07: Actual penalty decisions are at the discretion of the committee. Penalties depend on several factors. Some of the factors are the severity, whether or not the violation was intentional, history for policy violations, the nature of the violation, etc. Section 6.08: Penalties for violation of committee policies will be determined by deliberations of the GFC and may include a warning, a frozen account, a monetary penalty, or other penalties determined by the committee Section 6.09: At the discretion of the Chair with advice from the OSA Sustainability Director, groups may have their account frozen for several reasons including but not limited to: 1. There is a negative balance is in the account 2. There is misallocation or misuse of funds Section 6.10: Groups are not allowed to overspend the maximum number of dollars allocated, nor are they allowed to overspend those funds allowed for each individual line item as approved by the committee. If overspending of either occurs, the account may be frozen. Section 6.11: Following the freezing of a groups account, the GFC will attempt to notify the group and set up a meeting to resolve the issue. Section 6.12: Funding from the GFC may not be used on any type of fundraising event. Fundraising events are, for GFC purposes, any type of event, program, service, or otherwise, that is intended to either make a profit for the group, raise additional funds for another program, event, or activity, or to raise money for any other group, organization, or cause. Groups must use a different source of funding to cover the costs and expenses of the program and should keep the generated funds in a separate account. Section 6.13: Fundraised revenue is available to groups for their own use. Groups are not required to, and are encouraged not to keep these revenues in the University account. Groups may use institution agency accounts, if available, for the deposit of their activity receipts. Outside accounts, those not administered by the institution, may also be utilized. Section 6.14: Any funds raised must be reported to the GFC during the budget process. Section 6.15: A group s total expenses for each fiscal year may not exceed the total amount budgeted for that year. If a group s expenses for the year exceed the budgeted amount, the difference will be taken from the next year s budget. Unspent money at the end of the fiscal year will be recycled back into the Green Fund. Section 6.16: A group s total expenses in each line-item may not exceed the amount budgeted for that line on the revised budget. If a group exceeds the amount budgeted for a line-item the committee will determine what actions will be taken. If a group knows that they will be exceeding the amount budgeted for a line-item, they should submit a Line-Item Transfer Request in order to avoid any consequences. 6

7 Section 6.17: Groups may only use funding for the specific costs, events, and programs that were requested and approved during the budget request. Because these requests are made a year in advance, the committee allows a limited amount of flexibility if things change once the request has been approved. A different event or program may be substituted for one that was in the request without having it approved by the committee only if it meets the following criteria: 1. The event must have the same mission, function, or purpose as the requested event. 2. The event cannot exceed the total amount budgeted for the original request. 3. The event cannot exceed any of the amounts budgeted for the original in each line-item. 4. The event must achieve the original event s mission or purpose just as well, if not better. 5. If the event does not meet all of the criteria it must first be approved by the committee. Article 7: Additional Funding Policies Section 7.01: Contracting work to build or accomplish approved initiatives shall follow standard campus bidding procedures; exemptions can be made for cases involving specific UWO partners that are written into the proposal and passed by the GFC and all other relevant campus stakeholders. Section 7.02: All spent funds shall be tracked with receipts and turned into the OSA Sustainability Director periodically as determined during the application and approval process. The account holder shall make copies of each purchase receipt as well as the ones turned in. Article 8: Appeals Process Section 8.01: Once the GFC takes final action on the annual budget or any additional allocation decision, the impacted student(s) may file a written appeal of that allocation decision. Section 8.02: Notice of an appeal must be submitted in writing to the GFC within one business week of the committee s original decision notification Section 8.03: The appeal must indicate the basis for the appeal. The group must also state whether the decision is unacceptable due to the funding level provided or due to concerns relating to viewpoint neutrality, as the term was designated in Board of Regents v. Southworth, 529, U.S. 217 (2000). Section 8.04: The GFC will review the appeal as an item of business at the next meeting and make a final determination. The written decision by the GFC will address the grounds for the appeal as presented by the appealing organization. 7

8 Section 8.05: GFC decisions may be further reviewed through a second appeal to the Appeals Committee. Notice of a second appeal must be in writing, submitted to the Appeals Committee within one business week after receiving the written GFC decision. Section 8.06: The Appeals Committee shall be comprised of a chair that was previously appointed by the Oshkosh Student Association (OSA), and three additional student members, as appointed by the OSA. A representative from the Dean of Students Office may serve in a non-voting consultative role to the Appeals Committee. Members of the GFC, Student Segregated Fees Committee, or the appealing group are not eligible to serve on the committee. No more than one OSA Senator may serve on the committee. The Appeals Committee, and the appealing group may request witnesses or information that will lead to an informed or fair decision. Section 8.07: The Appeals Committee will review the appeal as an item of business at the next scheduled meeting and make a final determination. The Appeals Committee will attempt to hear the appealing group s second appeal within one week of receiving the appeal. Section 8.08: During this appeals process, both the GFC and the appealing group may submit written or oral information regarding their positions. Section 8.09: The written decision by the Appeals Committee will address the grounds for appeal as presented by the appealing group. Section 8.10: For appeals relating to funding levels, the written decision by the Appeals Committee shall be final. Section 8.11: For appeals relating to viewpoint neutrality, the written decision by the Appeals Committee shall be final unless the appealing group files a final written appeal to the Chancellor (or their designee) within one week of notification of the decision by the Appeals Committee Article 9: Policy Violation Penalties Section 9.01: Any groups or individuals that propose green initiatives to the GFC shall understand and accept that they are entering into a binding agreement. They are responsible for knowing and understanding all GFC policies and agree not to violate them. If violations occur, individual or group sponsors must accept any and all penalties that occur. Section 9.02: The penalties levied against policy violators will be at the discretion of the GFC. The penalties will depend on several factors surrounding the violation and the nature of it. Violations will be considered based on their level of intent, history of violations, the nature of the violation, the severity, etc. The GFC reserves the right to give warnings, freeze accounts, deny future funding, etc., based on a case-by-case basis. 8

9 Appeals to any violation sanctions must go through the OSA Sustainability Director first, followed by the GFC, OSA, and other relevant parties if the issue cannot be resolved. Article 10: Proposal Criteria Section 10.01: All proposals shall provide the following content to be reviewed by the OSA Sustainability Director and presented to the GFC 1. Project title 2. Primary Person of Contact / Budget Manager 3. A list of all relevant parties involved in the proposal 4. A brief summary of the proposed project 5. The sustainability aspects that are addressed, including potential economic, environmental, social, and campus impact 6. The project timeline of implementation 7. An assessment or verification rubric in order to assess the sustainability outcomes 8. An outline of any potential maintenance requirements 9. A detailed budget including a. Capital expenditures b. Advertising / publicity c. Installation d. Travel e. Supplies f. Permits / licensing g. Other revenue such as donations h. Other items deemed necessary by the GFC Section 10.02: Additional materials can be added to the criteria by the GFC, through a majority vote decision Article 11: Oshkosh Student Association Section 11.01: The Policies and Procedural Manual (PPM) is subject to approval from the Oshkosh Student Association (OSA) Senate. The PPM must be approved by the OSA Senate before the review of proposals in the fall semester Section 11.02: Any changes made by the Committee to the PPM are subject to approval of the OSA Senate. The Chair, Chair-Elect, and/or OSA Sustainability Director must present the changes to the Senate as soon as possible. Section 11.03: The OSA President, Vice President, Senate, and Assembly can request a report from the GFC Chair anytime they deem necessary 9