Club Refuel Deadline, Training with A&P, Connecting with Faculty, Financial Planning, and more!

Dear ABC Student Group Leaders,

I am reaching out to provide important updates regarding:

1. Club Refuel Deadline

2. Required Training with the Administration and Planning Team

3. New Group Recognition Event

4. Town Hall Follow-Up

5. Connecting with faculty 

6. Financial Planning Follow-Up

7. Latinx and Music Representative Elections

Club Refuel Deadline
Please make sure your student group has completed all 4 Club Refuel requirements on or before October 11, 2024. 

Please note that if you missed the Enough is Enough sessions, there is one last opportunity for you to attend, which will be occurring next Tuesday, October 8th, 6:00-7:30 pm. Please click the attached link above to register for the session.

Student groups that have not completed all requirements on or before Friday, October 11th, 2024 will face the following outcomes:

• The group will be flagged for probation (groups already on probation will be derecognized).

• LionLink finance access will not be granted, or will be revoked, until the group is off probation.

• Existing space reservations will be canceled, and future space reservations cannot be made, until the group is off probation.
   

Required Training with Administration and Planning Team (A&P)

We will be hosting a required training session with A&P, tentatively scheduled for late October or early November, to guide you through essential financial processes relevant to your group. This training addresses a need we've identified for student groups to gain a stronger understanding of financial management. 

We also want to hear from you! Please let us know which topics you'd like us to cover by filling out this form by Thursday, October 16, 2024, at 11:59 PM.
 

New Group Recognition Event

Are you interested in starting a new student group at Columbia, or in recognizing a current group on campus? Do you want to learn more about funding opportunities, the recognition process and the difference between the governing boards? If so, we encourage students to join us for the New Group Recognition Informational Session on Tuesday, October 15th at 10pm in Math 312. 

Hear from the Student Governing Board at Columbia (SGB), the Activities Board at Columbia (ABC), Community Impact, the Club Sports Governing Board (CSGB), and more. Please reach out to [email protected] with any questions. No registration required.

Town Hall Follow-Up
We would like to gather feedback on ways we can improve future town halls. Please fill out this form to gather your thoughts.

As promised, the town hall slides can be found here. 
 

Connecting ABC Student Groups with Columbia Faculty
One of our goals this year is to strengthen the connection between student groups and Columbia faculty. We believe that fostering collaboration between academia and student life offers numerous benefits. To support this initiative, we are currently partnering with Dean Hungerford's office to explore new ways to enhance these relationships. ABC is eager to gain a clearer understanding of the current dynamics between Columbia faculty and our student groups. Please help us by completing this form by October 17, 2024, at 11:59 PM.

In addition, I encourage you in participating in a conversation with Professor Sam Roberts and Interim Dean of Undergraduate Student Life Roger Lehecka occurring this Wednesday, October 9, at 6:00pm in Schapiro Hall main lounge. 

Financial Planning Follow-Up:
As a general reminder, the A&P team finished their 2023-2024 reclamation process, overdraft clearances, and 24-25 allocation transfers a few weeks ago. I highly encourage your group to request your trial balance and fund balance reports to track your finances. USL Administration and Planning will send you these reports, with important information on how to interpret them.

The Fund Balance Report will show the total in the surplus column available for your group. Keep in mind that this amount may be lower than expected if your group had any unpaid invoices paid from previous years.

Remember that it is your group’s responsibility to assess the accuracy of your financial activity report. Your review is critical. If you notice any discrepancies, please send an email to [email protected], along with your adviser and your ABC representative, to correct any errors or clarify any amounts. You can also copy ABC’s executive board at [email protected].

Keep in mind that it takes time for expenses and revenue to be credited. Therefore, if you expect an amount to reflect in your group’s account, please allow some reasonable time until they are reflected. Your group should maintain an internal budget sheet to track these amounts. Student groups should review their financial activity reports periodically and at least quarterly to ensure accuracy.

As a reminder, all ABC groups are required to save all purchasing documentation now, including keeping copies of invoices from USL Preferred vendors.

For those groups with approved co-sponsorships, please follow the instructions sent by Armando Gimenez in order for us to transfer the funds to your group's account. 
 

Purchase Request Form Reminder
Please ensure that you include your approved Purchase Request Form for the following transactions, including but not limited to:

• P-Cards

• Group to group co-sponsorships

• Vendor Payments (USL Preferred Vendors and CU approved vendors)

• Contracts (i.e Performance and videographer agreements)

• AMC Movie Tickets

• Metro Cards

Failure to do so may result in penalties for your group. You can find detailed instructions on submitting a Purchase Request form here.
 

Latinx and Music Representative Elections
You can view the application here . If you would like to run for these positions, please download, complete, and send the application to [email protected] on or before Wednesday October 9, 2024 by 8pm.

Finally, I recommend reviewing the following 3 videos we have made, which answers frequently asked questions about many financial inquiries.

Please do not hesitate to reach out to your ABC representatives! They are your first point of contact and advocate for ABC-related inquiries.

Have a good rest of your day!

Best,

Julian Infante
ABC President

Christina Xiao
ABC Vice President

Armando Gimenez
ABC Treasurer