During the March Oakland University Student Congress (OUSC) meetings, the Student Activities Funding Board (SAFB) proposed a bill to separate from OUSC, aimed at increasing their efficiency and autonomy.
“The relationship between the University Student Congress and the Student Activities Funding Board as it is written in the Constitution reflects antiquated needs of the SAFB that are no longer existent,” the SAFB E-Board said in the proposed bill.
According to the OUSC Constitution, SAFB is described as a standing committee of OUSC, however, Nia Matthews, SAFB Co-Chair, explained that this title provides little autonomy for her organization.
“People think SAFB is autonomous because there are checks and balances, but from SAFB’s perspective it feels more like checks and no balance because they have to approve our hirings, approve our budget, approve our bylaws,” Matthews said. “SAFB does not have any voting power within Student Congress meetings; it is basically an honorary member of OUSC.”
On March 10, after the second formal discussion of SAFB’s proposed change, Matthews presented the tentative action steps to change the relationship between Student Congress and the funding board while still maintaining the checks and balances.
“By working in tandem with our Advisor, who is a part of OU faculty and with the proposed Student Organization Funding (SOF) Committee,” Matthews said, “The Student Activities Funding Board has a plan in place to ensure transparency in our organization through a Student Organization Funding Committee consisting of student organization eboard members who have attended financial training.”
Some legislators shared their concerns with this proposal, the major points of contention being ensuring ethics and student voices. Matthews drafted a twelve-point Code of Ethics and mechanisms to remove board members who may abuse the due process of their authority. She also pointed to the SAFB advisor as an impartial decision-maker who already ensures the objective approval of budget requests and spending.
The bill was voted on and did not pass but will be presented again in next year’s OUSC election cycle — March 2026. “In their current form, Student Congress and SAFB operate with separate missions, budgets, advisors, hiring processes, bylaws, member expectations, bondings, and SAFAC standings,” The bill presented by Matthews said. “The Board utilizes a different standard when determining the rules it makes and its decisions than Student Congress which further communicates the levels of separation that already exist.”
This proposal came at a time of many rearrangements for SAFB. With their decrease in funding approved by Student Congress and awaiting approval by the Board of Trustees, SAFB is also waiting for an overall increase in the Student Activities Fund. Over the summer, both the funding board and the Office for Student Involvement (OSI) finance will transition out of GrizzOrgs and will combine financial forms.
“I haven’t really been talking to people who are worried about [the possible budget decrease], but yeah, it definitely is worrying for SAFB,” Matthews said. “When we get allocated money, we get allocated every semester based on attendance and every semester since Covid, we have been spending more than we receive in allocations, so that cushion is slowly disappearing.” “Although SAFB has always been willing to give up a percentage to club sports, we didn’t feel right that you were the only organization being made to do so, as it is a sacrifice.”
Matthews explained that with a surplus in reserves after COVID, the funding board has been able to put up with decreases in enrollment or budget adjustments. With that economic cushion decreasing, Matthews did not expect a problem but a change to student organization’s budgets.
Contact [email protected] with any questions related to upcoming changes, budget requests and funding capabilities.
