Campus clubs still unable to access WLUSU money

This year, the Wilfrid Laurier University Students’ Union modified their application and budgeting process for campus clubs in order to make it easier and timelier for students to receive their funding.

But as of today, clubs have yet to see any of their money.

“It’s frustrating not to have money to start up with,” said president of the political science association John Kennedy.
Assistant vice-president of campus clubs and faculty association Lawrence Maclin explained that instead of having to go through multiple application processes, clubs will now be able to register for status and apply for and present a budget online in one easy step.
“What we’re doing instead is, because we know the timeline for students is very sensitive, we’ve combined the entire process so it’s going to be a one-week process,” said Maclin.
Unfortunately, the release of this new process and the starting date for the application have been pushed back; now an attempt to speed up the process has resulted in a wait period, which is about as long as the old system.
This has had an impact on many campus clubs, such as the political science association, which host events early in the semester.
“Our first event cost more than we thought so we had to pay out of pocket, and I don’t know how long it will take to get the reimbursement,” said president of the political science association John Kennedy. “I’ve heard people have had trouble [with this] in the past.

Maclin explains that the reason for their delay is to avoid putting out a faulty product that will create more problems for students; however, it does not change the fact that almost two months into the semester clubs are still without resources.
In addition to not having any of their money yet, clubs also fear that they will not be getting as much this year because of the recession and the fact that they must each present a budget as opposed to being given a lump sum.

“I know for sure it will be less than [our previous amount] because of the recession,” said Kennedy.

“It’s hard because our association is only a few years old, but it’s growing pretty quickly. We have more and more people coming out to our events, and it’s harder to accommodate them.”

The funding that each individual club will receive is to be determined by Maclin and his executive team with the assistance of WLUSU programming and promotions manager Bill Kitchen and vice-president of clubs and activities Jason Verhoeve.

The amount the club is approved for will depend on factors such as number of members and plans for spending.

“The money that was available last year is very similar to what is available this year, so clubs that budget appropriately … they’re going to be the clubs that are obviously going to be able to take advantage of the system, but in a good way,” said Maclin.

The system was open and running as of Thursday last week, and students will be able to apply until Friday at noon. After this, the applications will be reviewed and the clubs will be informed the following week about their registration and how much money they have.

–With files from Lauren Millet