Student Activity Fee Allocation Committee

  • General Information

  • Each year, the Student Activity Fee Allocation Committee (SAFAC) is charged with making recommendations regarding the use of Student Activity Fees to provide funding for university activities that are open to all students. The committee, comprised of students, faculty, and staff, meets during the spring semester to review proposal requests for the following academic year.


    Departments wishing to apply for funding need to carefully read the conditions, criteria, and procedures included on this webpage and complete the application in its entirety. Only activities and programs that are open to all students are eligible to receive SAFAC funding.  Additionally, all SAFAC funds received must be spent during the academic year in which they are allocated. Prior year’s information must match records on file in the Business Office and the prior SAFAC allocations, if applicable.


    Proposals are due no later than 4:00 p.m. on Friday, February 16, 2024. Proposal applications must be typed and electronically submitted on the forms provided on this webpage. Do not reformat any part of the forms. If you need additional space, please submit an additional sheet of paper. Documentation should not exceed 15 pages including the forms pages. All forms must be completed in their entirety and saved in PDF format before submitting to the Office of the Dean of Students at studentservices@cameron.edu. It is the responsibility of the submitter to ensure the accuracy of the information submitted and the receipt of the application. All proposals must be electronically delivered before the designated deadline to receive consideration. Please contact the Office of the Dean of Students at 580-581-2244 if you have any questions about the SAFAC application or the process for allocating student activity fee funding.

  • Bylaws and Operating Procedures

  • A. Purpose: The purpose of the Student Activity Fee Allocation Committee (SAFAC) shall be:
    1. For student input into the Student Activity Fee Allocation process.
    2. To make recommendations to the Cameron University Dean of Students as to the activities to be funded from the Student Activity Fees and the amounts of those allocations.
    3. To make known their concerns, if any, about specific types of transactions, policies, or procedures.
    4. To perform a narrative and financial review of the expenditures related to the previous year funding allocations.

  • B. Organization: The organization of the SAFAC shall be determined as stated in Appendix A. All changes are to be approved by the Student Services Committee (SSC).

  • C. Jurisdiction:
    1. Dean of Students shall notify SAFAC of the annual allocation amount by February 28. Amount available for allocation by SAFAC will not include student activity fees allocated by the University administration for athletic funding.
    2. The SAFAC shall make recommendations for the disbursement of its annual allocation of funds.
    3. The committee shall have access to University financial information relative to any activity which request student activity funds, i.e., other funding by the University, E & G, Auxiliary, gate receipts, or other.
    4. The committee shall be advised of any supplemental allocations approved by the University administration.
    5. The University administration will provide a report to the Dean of Students for distribution to SAFAC by October 1. The report shall contain funding details for the prior fiscal year, amounts of student activity fee collected, and the disposition of those fees.
  • D. Eligibility:
    1. Only those activities which are officially recognized by Cameron University as duly constituted bodies whose membership and programs are open to all students and who have been recognized as an activity to be funded through student activity fees (as stated in Appendix B) shall be eligible for allocations by SAFAC.
    2. SAFAC funds will not be directly allocated to club or organizational accounts.
  • E. Budgeting Procedures:
    1. A program’s budget for the following year shall be presented to SAFAC on the prescribed form no later than February 28 of the current fiscal year.
    2. SAFAC will reserve the right to meet with a representative of each activity eligible for funding for the purpose of discussing in depth the budget and the group’s activities for the following year.
    3. If any item in the budget conflicts with Cameron University Policy and/or SAFAC Bylaws or any subsequent standards set by the Committee, or if any item in the opinion of the majority of the voting members of the Committee should be reduced or eliminated, the SAFAC shall indicate the reduction or elimination of the item from the budget request.
    4. After consideration of the needs, activities, number of students involved, past apportionments, amounts available for allocation, and other relevant factors, the SAFAC shall decide by a majority vote of the voting members present, the amount to be recommended for allocation to the funded activity.
    5. SAFAC shall present its allocation recommendations to the Dean of Students for final approval no later than April 1, unless the committee has not concluded the full review of proposals.
    6. When establishing an activity’s budget for the next fiscal year, SAFAC may consider other revenue sources; however, the allocation to such activities should not be reduced because of its ability to procure cash contributions.
    7. Funds allocated should be used during the year they were allocated. Funds not used during the current fiscal year will be returned to the general student activity account, unless otherwise recommended by the committee.
    8. All unallocated funds shall be placed in the general student activity account to serve as a reserve fund. This fund will be available for supplemental/special appropriations as recommended by SAFAC or approved by the Dean of Students or the President of Cameron University.
    9. If actual student activity fee revenue for the budget year falls below the initial projection, all allocations should be reduced by the same percentage. The author of each approved proposal shall receive an electronic notification explaining the purpose and percentage of such reduction.
  • F. Investigation: SSC, upon complaint, may investigate alleged violations of any standards, rules or regulations.
    1. The SSC Chairperson may appoint an ad hoc committee composed of SSC members to investigate any financial matter dealing with a student activity fee funded activity. In the event of any irregularities in the use of funds, SAFAC shall determine a course of action to rectify the situation, or to prevent such a situation from occurring in the future.

  • G. Enforcement: In the event of a violation of policies or regulation of SAFAC, a warning shall be issued to the offending funded activity by the SAFAC Chairperson along with a directive to comply. In the event the funded activity fails to heed the directive, SAFAC shall take any necessary action such as, but not limited to, refusing and/or denying future proposal considerations.

  • H. Procedures for handling of monies:
    1. Student Activity Fees will be handled according to University procedures.
    2. Expenditures:
      1. All expenditures of funded activities under SAFAC jurisdiction shall be made through the Business Office.
      2. Money collected by a funded program shall not be used directly for any expenditure but shall first be deposited with the Business Office and withdrawn with a properly signed purchase order or travel request.
      3. Travel regulations governing those programs funded by student activity fees will be the same as the official university travel regulations. It is the responsibility of the advisor and participants of each program funded by student activity fees to know and abide by these regulations.
  • I. End of Fiscal Year Balance:
    1. The balance of any student activity funded account will not be carried over to the next fiscal year. Any unspent funds at the end of the fiscal year will be placed in the general student activity account.
    2. Residual scholarship monies can be transferred into operating accounts provided the operating account is also comprised of student activity fees, as long as they are spent during the fiscal year they were allocated.

  • Appendix A - Organization of the Student Activity Fees Allocation Committee

  • A. SAFAC shall consist of the Student Services Committee (SSC) and all elected officers of the Student Government Association (SGA). The Chair of SSC shall also serve as chair of SAFAC.
    1. No member of SAFAC shall vote on the allocations of student activity fees to an organization/department for which she/he is directly responsible for the apportionment of these same funds. “Directly responsible” refers to having clear budgetary authority to decide on how the approved allocations would be spent.
    2. The following shall serve as ex-officio, non-voting members of SAFAC:
      1. Dean of Students
      2. Director of Campus Life
      3. Vice President for Business and Finance or a designated proxy.

  • B. Quorum: A quorum shall consist of a majority of the voting members of SAFAC. Note: For FY23, the committee shall use the interim policy regarding committee quorum as prescribed by the President of the University.

  • C. Meeting: Meetings shall be called by the SAFAC Chairperson when deemed necessary and shall be conducted in accordance with Robert’s Rules of Order, newly revised except when in conflict with these bylaws.

  • D. Amendments to the Bylaws: Any supplemental policies or action taken by SAFAC will be listed in the Appendices. An amendment to the Bylaws can be made by a simple majority vote of SAFAC with the approval of the President of the University.

  • E. Attendance Policy: All voting members serving on SAFAC will be allowed two absences in the fall semester and two absences in the spring semester. Excused absences will be for extreme cases such as a death in the family, severe illness, or an excuse deemed acceptable by the Chairperson or the Dean of Students. Organizational meetings, studying, or their related absences will not be excused absences.

  • At the time when a member’s absences have been used, the Chairperson and the Dean of Students will review the case and present their recommendation to SAFAC for approval or dismissal. If SAFAC votes for dismissal, the member will automatically be removed from SAFAC membership. If it is a faculty member, the recommendation for the removed member will be made to the Chair of Faculty Senate. If reinstated, the member will retain all rights and responsibilities as a member of SAFAC. This process will be repeated for each successive absence.

  • Appendix B - Conditions, Criteria and Procedures for Recognition of a Program or Activity to be Funded Through Student Fees

  • A. Approval of a program or activity for funding does not in itself guarantee that the program or activity will be funded.

  • B. An “Application for Recognition as a Student Funded Program or Activity” must be prepared in good faith and all questions or statements must be answered completely. The information requested on the application will be evaluated to determine whether or not all criteria for funding have been met.

  • C. Specific Conditions for Recognition and Administration of Approved Programs.
    1. An approved program or activity must provide significant entertainment, recreation, or out-of-class educational experience for students.
    2. The term “significant” shall be determined by:
      1. Number of students involved.
      2. Overt evidence that it is not a direct part of an instructional program.
      3. Potential to attain favorable publicity for the University, if appropriate.
      4. Rationale and documentation in the course of application and justification.
    3. Only those activities which are officially recognized by Cameron University as duly constituted bodies whose membership and programs are open to all students and who have been recognized as an activity to be funded through student activity fees shall be eligible for allocations by SAFAC.
    4. SAFAC funds will not be allocated directly to club or organizational accounts.
  • D. The “Application for Recognition as a Student Funded Program or Activity” should include, but not necessarily be limited to:
    1. Name of program or activity.
    2. Number of members and proposed composition of Student-Faculty Board, i.e., how members are selected, qualifications to be a member, what factions are represented, procedures of the Board and, where appropriate, the title of the existing Board to which the program might be assigned (organizational chart to be included where appropriate).
    3. Purpose of program or activity - to be described in detail.
    4. Statement regarding how the program provides significant entertainment, recreation or out-of-class educational experience for students.
    5. Estimate (as specific as possible, with some evidence in support) how many students may be served by the proposed program or activity.
    6. Rationale for the request, i.e., what need does it meet, what demand for such a program has been experienced, what university goals will it further?
    7. Pro forma statement of costs - in detail. Complete and attach the SAFAC Budget Proposal Worksheets.
    8. Statement as to whether proposed program or activity duplicates or closely overlaps existing programs or activities and justification for such duplication or overlap if any.
    9. Citation of what program(s) or activity(ies), if any, are to be eliminated, and the reasons for such elimination, i.e., drop-off in student participation, increase in cost, change in student priorities, etc.
    10. Travel expenses not previously approved in this annual request will require a summary of the trip, including items d, e, f, and g. The request for reimbursement must provide documentation that the University sponsor (or approved designee) accompanied the group. Additionally, a brief advertisement plan should outline how all students will be notified of the opportunity.
    11. Other pertinent information may be listed in this section.

  • E. Funds allocated should be used during the year they were allocated. Funds not used during the current fiscal year will be returned to the general student activity account, unless otherwise recommended by the committee.

  • Application Forms

  • The link below contains the proposal application required to be electronically submitted to the Office of the Dean of Students at studentservices@cameron.edu. All proposals are to be typed and saved in PDF format before submitting and must be received in the Office of the Dean of Students no later than 4:00 pm on Friday, February 16, 2024. Reformatted, incomplete, or late submissions may not be considered by the committee.

  • SAFAC Proposal Narrative and Budget Worksheets

  • Notes:

    1. The updated proposal application contains 9 total pages. Some sections of the application contain automated calculations. Please do not make modifications to the fields that contain a zero "0".
    2. Please do not reformat or alter the forms in any way. If you need additional space, please include a separate page. Applications must not exceed 15 total pages. 
    3. As space is limited on the forms, please be brief when you enter content, but as explanatory as possible. 
    4. Please save the proposal application file to your records before submitting it. Please include the name of the departmental host, the submitter's first and last name, and the name of the proposal. An example would be as follows: Dept Name_Title of Event_Last Name of Proposer_FY25.

  • After-Action Event Report Form

    1. This form must be completed and submitted as part of the acceptance/receipt of funds allocated by the SAFAC Committee.
    2. Please type this form and submit it in PDF format to studentservices@cameron.edu within 30 days after the conclusion of the event.
    3. Be sure to save your file with an appropriate description. An example would be as follows: EMSS After-Action Event Report_WinterWonderland_05-21-2024.

  • Contact Information

  • For questions or assistance with any part of the SAFAC proposal submission process, please contact the Office of the Dean of Students at:

  • Office of the Dean of Students

    580-581-2244 

    studentservices@cameron.edu

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