ABC Update: Pre-calendaring, Tech Costs, and Constitutional Revisions!

Dear ABC Student Group Leaders, 

We hope that you’re enjoying this beautiful spring weather!​ This newsletter contains important information, the topics summarized below. We appreciate it if you can read this thoroughly!

1. Allocation packet reminder.

2. Pre-calendaring for Fall 2024 and other important information.

3. Impact of increased technical services costs and other financial concerns.

4. Archiving your group’s documents.

5. Events and funding opportunities.

6. Policy changes [including constitutional changes]

7. Follow-up on summer storage.

8. E-board directory and your group’s Grouper.
    

Allocation Packet Reminder
As announced in our last newsletter on 4/12/2024, we released the 2024-2025 Allocation Packet. This packet serves as a source of information for us to better understand your group's 2024-2025 financial needs, based on your programming from this year. It also helps ABC expedite the review of your group's co-sponsorship applications. The deadline for submitting the allocation packet is April 30 at 11:59PM ET. Late submissions will not be accepted.

This year, the submission process of the allocation packet will be different, and done through LionLink. Please go to your organization’s finance page > budget > create request > create budget request > click allocation packet. A meeting with your ABC representative is highly encouraged to understand this new process/clarify any questions. Please talk to your advisor for any issues around LionLink finance access. 

Important Information from University Student Life (USL)
Please go over the email titled “Student Group Updates: Pre-Cal is now OPEN! & End of Semester Deadlines”, sent by Emily Delman, Associate Director of Student Engagement. Important deadlines include:

Pre-calendaring for Fall 2024 

This process allows recognized student groups to reserve space for events to be held in the next semester. Detailed information on this can be found here. As a reminder, pre-calendaring requests must be submitted through Virtual EMS! Deadline is Friday, April 19 at 5:00pm! 

Also remember to complete the Pre-Calendaring Additional Information Formby Sunday, April 22 at 5:00 p.m. for all events - weekly meetings do not require this. This is an additional document to best support your group in the decision making process.
 

Impact of technical services cost increase on student groups 

We would like to have a first-hand perspective to the challenges that your group has faced regarding the increase in tech costs. We will dedicate some time on Wednesday April 24 from 8:00 pm - 8:45 pm in Lerner Satow Room (5th floor in Lerner Hall) to listen to these concerns and think about ways we can better support student groups in the future regarding this. To those groups that strongly rely on this for your programming, like performance and dance groups, we are especially interested in hearing your perspective. Please sign-up here.
 

Discrepancies in your student account balance/ Practices

We are aware that there have been instances in which certain expenses have been inaccurately charged in certain student group’s accounts. You may also see expenses reflecting outstanding payments from previous years. USL and USL-A&P are working meticulously in order to correct discrepancies and to ensure timely charges by vendors. Do not hesitate to contact your ABC representative as a resource if you need any assistance in navigating through your group’s financial accounts. 

Yet, it is also very important that Treasurers and Presidents manage group finances correctly. Here are some good practices in order to successfully manage your group’s funds:

1. Consistently review your group’s treasury in detail. Remember you can request your group’s trial balance and fund balance reports here. A&P has created these very useful slides to further help you on this. 

2. Your group should review invoices and receipts for expenses and compare them to the transactions listed on their Trial Balance Reports as a best practice to ensure all expenses are reflected based on your planned activities for the academic year. Theo Nelson, 2023-2024 ABC President, created this useful video on trial balance account reconciliation. If a discrepancy is noticed, it should be brought to A&P’s attention so they can provide guidance and assist on your behalf if needed. Remember to adhere to the USL financial timelines. 

Archiving your student group
How many times have you asked how your group programmed in the past? Have you ever been curious about your group's history? As group leaders, aren't there moments where you would like to go back to understand how past leaders dealt with certain processes? Properly archiving your important documents can provide answers to all of these questions and more. It preserves your group's history, enabling you to build upon past successes. Archiving ensures continuity and smooth transitions when leadership changes, and supports compliance with any regulations or guidelines. Additionally, having a well-organized archive saves you time and effort by making it easy to find the information you need when planning events. By taking the time to archive your documents, you are not only safeguarding your group’s legacy but also contributing to the overall success of your group in the future. Future leaders of your group will very much appreciate this! 

We are partnering with Columbia University Archives to create the first electronic archive of ABC and its groups. Please fill out this form to enable you to preserve your group's documents! 


Undergraduate Community Initiative Events and Grants
We encourage your groups to be engaged with the UCI’s programming and funding opportunities! On Friday April 19, from 11:00am to 1:00pm, the Undergraduate Community Initiative, in partnership with Community Impact, are inviting the undergraduate community to the special event “Celebrating Service: Take Two Hours to Get Inspired”,  highlighting the importance of service as part of the education and experience of Columbia students, and raising awareness for all the wonderful ways students are engaged with serving the community.


Policy Changes and Constitutional Amendment 

ABC has passed the following policies:

1. New spending guidelines for student group traveling: 

   1. ABC will not fund through allocations, or co-sponsorships, travels that are not destined for official events or competitions. We consider a travel event "official" if it is organized by some third party or else is a confirmed interaction with a third party group that can be verified by ABC. The distinction between official and unofficial events will be determined at ABC's discretion by a simple majority vote if deemed necessary.

   2. ABC will not fund through allocations, or co-sponsorships, travel done through individual/cluster booking,  unless the nature of their travel forces them to do so. 

2. New code of conduct policy in leaders of performances:

   1. Leadership positions of performances should be reserved to only undergraduate students of Columbia College and/or the School of Engineering and Applied Science and/or Barnard College and/or the School of General Studies. Examples of this include show directors, captains, artistic directors, or any other position that involves major decision-making in a performance
      
      In addition, ABC highly encourages that major-scale projects should be led only by undergraduate students, with graduate students serving as an advisory capacity if they would like to contribute.

3. Constitutional change for executive board composition

   1. Replace third to last point on constitution (Article III, Section 1) to “Have an executive board (President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary) membership consisting of only undergraduate students of Columbia College and/or the School of Engineering and Applied Science and/or Barnard College and/or the School of General Studies”
      
      Please vote by Friday April 26 at 11:59pm! 

Summer Storage
Remember to please let your ABC representative know your group’s needs for summer storage space. If you do not need summer storage, also let them know. As a reminder, this does not ensure that your group will have summer storage space available, we are just analyzing the current needs. The final day to let us know if you need space will be this Wednesday April 17 by 11:59pm. If we receive no response, your group may not be able to benefit from storage if we decide to move forward with it. 

ABC Groups’ shared materials sheet 
In addition, we have created this new sheet if groups have equipment/materials/items that might be useful for other groups to use in their events. Groups can contact each other if they are interested in borrowing certain items.
 

E-board Update
Remember to email your ABC representative with your group’s Fall 2024 executive board members. If elections have not happened yet, please communicate this to your ABC representative. 

Grouper email 
ABC may transition to only using the group’s Grouper (@columbia email) for communications. Therefore, please make sure to update your Grouper account. Remember that USL is strictly using grouper emails for communications for student groups.
 

ABC’s Executive Board Email
If you have any urgent requests, or your ABC representative has not responded in a timely fashion [within 48 hours], feel free to contact [email protected] to contact ABC’s e-board directly. 
 

We wish you all the best in the remainder of this semester! Please do not hesitate to contact your ABC representative if you have any questions or concerns!
 

All the best,

Julian Infante
ABC President

Christina Xiao
ABC Vice President

Armando Gimenez
ABC Treasurer

Daniel Andrade
ABC Secretary