Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q. Who can submit a funding request through the portal?
A. The President, Advisor and Fiscal Agent are the only members of your RSO that can submit the request through the Funding Portal, by logging in using their ULID and password. RSOs that need to update their officer and advisor information should click here use the RSO Officer Change Form.

Q. How do I know which form to fill out – opportunity fund or program fund and event or travel?
A. The date of when the program to travel in happening will determine which fund you apply for, so look at the dates for each fund carefully. Also note the special qualifications to for apply for the Opportunity Fund.
Event or travel form – an event is an program or activity that your RSO is hosting/organizing while a travel request entails traveling (by car, bus, plane or train) to another location for a conference, competition, etc.

Q. What if I can't answer all the questions on the budget form?
A. You are able to save the answers you've given and come back to the form when you have the rest of the answers or the time.

Q. If my organization is funded administratively or departmentally, can we apply for funds?
A. No. Organizations that receive financial support through a department on campus cannot also apply for student fees through the RSO Program or Opportunity funds.

Q. What are Highlighted Excluded Expenditures?
A. Organizations allocated fees through the RSO Student Fee Fund process may not request or provide:

• financial support for political program, parties, individual political candidates, or direct lobbying efforts
• support and/or contributions for any private person, group, association, or business except for goods and services rendered
• payment for employment of faculty or civil service personnel unless authorized because of unusual circumstances
• payment of faculty, A/P, or civil service professional dues
• gifts for advisory and participating members
• payments of debts and expenditures incurred from any previous fiscal year except under special circumstances
• student fee dollars for the purchase of alcohol

Q. How many times can my organization apply for funds?
A. Your organization may apply several times with new requests to the Opportunity Fund, but organizations cannot come back to the Fee Board with the same request several times in hopes of getting more money. It is highly encouraged to take advantage of the Program Fund when you can apply for multiple budgets at the same time, and to not rely on the Opportunity Fund.

Q. Can we request reimbursement for a program or travel that has already taken place?
A. No.

Q. How long does it take for my organization to find out if we were funded?
A. Opportunity Fund = 2 weeks; Program Fund = Beginning of April; RSOs are notified of the Fee Board’s decision via a letter in their RSO mailbox in SSB 387.

Q. Will we receive a check or will the allocated money be transferred to our account? How long does this take?
A. Allocated funds are placed into an account for the RSO that is managed by RSO Financial Services or the organization’s Fiscal Agent. Funds can be distributed as soon as a week after the hearing for the Opportunity Fund or as soon as a member attends financial training, but funds aren’t distributed until training occurs. The same philosophy holds true for the Program Fund but the funds are available starting July 1.

Q. If the RSO does not use all the money they were allocated, do they get to keep it?
A. No. Funds are distributed for specific programs and travel that occur in a span of a year and if the money is not fully used for the purpose it was allocated for it is returned to the Fee Board.

Q. My organization is politically or religiously affiliated. Can we still apply for funding?
A. Yes if the request is for a program or travel that is educational in nature. Funds are distributed in a viewpoint neutral process – programs do not have to be viewpoint neutral, but student fees cannot support political or religious activities.

Q. My RSO received fund for a program but the costs have changed, which are out of our control, and we need more money. What should we do?
A. Your RSO can fundraise to make up the difference or apply for an Opportunity Fund program request to get the additional funds that you need.

Q. My RSO received funds for a program but the costs have changed, which are out of our control, and we want to shift money from one budget line to another. What should we do?
A. You can fill out a Change in Program Allocation Form / Change in Travel Allocation Form and submit it to the Student Organization Support & Involvement unit (SSB 387) for the RSO Fee Board to review and make a decision on the change in allocation.