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CBF Policies and Procedures

Social Sciences Department

College-Based Fee (CBF) Advisory Committee
Procedures for Development of Recommendations for Disbursement of CBF Funds

CBF FUNDS ALLOCATION


The following establishes guidelines for the forming of a committee made up of students and faculty who will review and recommend requests that have been submitted for funding using CBF funds. It is intended that funds be used in ways that benefit the students in the Social Sciences Department.  As not all potential requests can be imagined, the committee will have authority and discretion to decide funding matters on a case-by-case basis based on the university objectives of CBF funds and customary practices at Cal Poly.  Examples of potential uses are outlined below.

The CBF committee will provide a list of recommendations to the Department and the CLA as to how each year’s funds should be allocated. These recommendations are subject to review and revision by the Dean’s Office, but the Social Sciences Department shall not use CBF money for any purpose without a positive recommendation from the CBF committee.

Expenditures of CBF funds will be governed by the same Cal Poly policies that control State funds, as well as additional CLA policies on State or CBF funds. At the first meeting of the academic year, the SOCS department chair will provide the CBF committee with a clear and complete summation of all Cal Poly and CLA policies governing the expenditure of CBF and State monies.

CBF Advisory Committee

Purpose

The Social Sciences Department has established a CBF Advisory Committee to assist the Department with decisions regarding the use of CBF funds. The committee will serve 3 functions:

  1. Consider proposals, and make recommendations for the use of CBF funds;
  2. Report back to the students of the Department on the actual use of CBF funds, and the resultant benefits to the students and the Department's programs; and
  3. Consider and recommend adjustments to these procedures and proposed CBF expenditures as necessary.

CBF Advisory Committee Membership

The CBF Advisory Committee will consist of 4 or more students, 2 faculty advisors, and the Chair of the Department.  At the beginning of the academic year, the Department Chair will solicit volunteers from all students in the department, via e-mail or written message. Every effort will be made to get representative volunteers from all academic levels and curricular concentrations within the department. The slate of volunteers will be presented to the students in the department for approval and election. As there is no upper limit to the number of students on the committee, all volunteers will be elected to the committee if a majority of the students approve that appointment. This election of committee members will be conducted during the first Social Science club meeting (which is open to all Social Sciences majors) of the academic year in order to best facilitate timely evaluation of requests and distribution of needed funds.

Student Members

Term of service is for one year and is limited to students in good academic standing.  Each serving member will be elected or by self-nomination.  A minimum of three of the members will be elected by student vote and the final member will default to the Social Science Club president.  If the current residing president cannot perform the duties for any reason, the vice-president of the club will then be chosen.  In the event that any student members are unable to complete their term, the faculty advisors in consultation with the students will appoint replacement members.

The CBF Advisory Committee student members will assume the following officer positions:

  • Chair – responsible for scheduling meetings when necessary and presiding over meetings.
  • Secretary – responsible for recording the minutes at the CBF Advisory Committee meetings and relaying those minutes to the Communications officer.
  • Parliamentarian – responsible for keeping the procedures up-to-date, making changes whenever necessary.
  • Communications – He/she should also collect proposals and have them ready to distribute at CBF Advisory Committee meetings.  This person will also report to the department, Club, and students regarding the allocation of funds.

Faculty Members

One faculty member of the committee will be elected by the students of the department, at the same time the committee is elected. The second faculty member position will be the current faculty advisor for the Social Sciences Club.  The Chair of the Department will be a de facto member of the Committee.

Project Proposals

All Social Sciences students and faculty may propose a specific use of the CBF funds.  Proposals should be submitted in writing and one to two pages in length. The proposal should consist of the following:

  • Title: of the project
  • Description: A brief description of the proposed expenditure
  • Amount: of money being requested for project expenditure
  • Student Benefit: what is the potential effect & benefit for Social Sciences majors, the department, and the university community
  • Contact: for individual (s) requesting expenditure 

Student and faculty members in the Department may present recommendations or requests to the committee by providing this written proposal to any of the CBF faculty advisors. Each proposal will be considered at the next scheduled CBF meeting, although an ad hoc meeting may be scheduled if the time frame of the proposal warrants.

All people making proposals to the CBF committee will strive to submit these proposals at the beginning of each quarter, so that the efficiency of the CBF process can be maximized.

The faculty advisors to the committee will circulate an announcement and request for proposals to all current faculty and SOCS majors at least one week before each scheduled CBF meeting.

The Dean’s Office will also set a minimum for CBF funding to go directly for class support.  The CBF Committee will identify those classes to be covered by these CBF funds.  As well, additional funds may be recommended for additional classes.

It is expected that 80% or more of the CBF Funds will be expended in the Academic Year in which they were collected.  Any rollover funds must have an identified use for the next year.

Committee Deliberations

The CBF committee will meet at least once per quarter, preferably in the first 3 weeks, to review current expenditures and recommendations, and will meet additionally as needed. During the first Fall Quarter meeting, the committee will review and ratify these procedures, making changes as needed. (Changes will be in accord with governing CLA policies.) Faculty members will have a vote on ratification of these procedures.

At the first meeting of the year, the committee will allocate a pool of funds for student travel, assistantships, and research project stipends. Procedures and due dates for applying for these funds will be reviewed and agreed upon.

Meetings of the CBF Advisory Committee will be open, and Department members (students, faculty and staff) may make statements to the Committee on issues or proposals under consideration.

After each meeting of the CBF committee, the student members will make a report on the proceedings to the next meeting of the Social Sciences Club, and the faculty members will report back to the department at the next scheduled faculty meeting.

Recommendations

Each student member of the CBF Committee will have a single vote towards any proposal, and a simple majority of votes is required to fund a proposal.

Student members will have the option to cast their votes anonymously through a secret balloting system to be agreed upon during the Fall meeting.

Uses of CBF Funds

Revenues will be used exclusively to support instructionally-related items and activities that benefit Social Sciences majors and the educational objectives of the Social Sciences Department. The following list is intended to provide a guideline to the committee regarding the types of requests that may contain merit for evaluation, based on those that have been funded or requested in the past. However, this list is not intended to be all inclusive or prioritized.

  1. Lectureships to teach identified  courses as needed
  2. Teaching and other instructionally-related supplies and equipment
    1. Chairs, tables, lab equipment
    2. Computers & projectors
    3. Books, reference materials, library resources
    4. DVDs and videos
  3. Educational fieldtrips for majors
  4. Allowable State expenses for Educational activities organized by the Department (or faculty members thereof) or by the Social Sciences Club (Funded activities should be open to all SOCS majors.)
  5. Fund all or partial student participation at academic conferences (Non-competitive pool of funds, equitably distributed.)
  6. Fund speakers for yearly open lecture series
  7. Student-faculty summer research or field projects. Stipends provided to students to support field research under faculty supervision. All SOCS majors may apply
  8. Student assistantships
  9. Funding to assist with senior projects that have a broader benefit consistent with CBF objectives. (A pool of funds will be set aside at the Fall meeting, and divided equitably between all students making requests. A maximum amount and application deadline will be set by the committee each year.)

 

 
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