To
view answer, click on the question:
What am I allowed to buy with
UOSA funds?
How do I know if my group is eligible for
UOSA funding?
How do I find out how much money my
organization has?
Who decides how much money my
organization gets?
What should I expect in the budget
Interview?
How do I get the most money I can from UOSA
for my organization?
Why did a group similar to mine get more
money?
Why didn't my group get all the money we
requested?
What am I allowed to buy with UOSA funds?
Click here for a list
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How do I know if my organization is
eligible for funding?
To be eligible, an organization must:
- be
registered with The Center For Student Life for at least a year.
If you're not sure if your organization is registered with The
Center For Student Life, you should call them at 405-325-3163
- be located on the Norman campus,
- submit their budget application by the
deadline (Click
here for dates)
- attend their scheduled interview time
Download a checklist of these items here
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How do I find out how much money my
organization has in its account?
To check your account balance, you'll need to
call or go by the UOSA office or e-mail
Evie.
The UOSA office is in the first floor of the Conoco Student Leadership
Wing in The Union (OMU room 181) and the phone number is 405-325-5471.
It's extremely important that you know your balance before
you start making your budget!
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Who decides how much money my organization
gets?
The
Budgetary Committee, which is entirely made up of students. The
Budgetary Committee is made up of members of The UOSA Undergraduate
Student Congress who sit on the Ways & Means Committee, plus one
member of the Graduate Student Senate. Be sure to read through the
'Resources' section of this website for further information.
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What should I expect in the budget
Interview?
The
budget interview is pretty relaxed. The committee meets for about 4
hours, 4 nights a week, so there's no time for us to dress up. Your
interview will last 10 to 15 minutes. We will ask questions about your
PEA's and specific items on your budget. Be sure to know why you are
requesting everything that your group has listed. We'll also want to
know your plans for the year and how the organization is doing. There
isn't a specific list of questions that we completely stick to, but we
make sure we find out everything we need to about your group and the
events you plan on holding. We recommend that the person who made your
budget is the person who comes to the interview.
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How do I get the most money I can
from UOSA for my organization?
While
there's obviously no easy answer, keep in mind the committee sticks to
the criteria we're required to go by. We look at accounts to make sure
groups have spent the money they requested. We try to find out how well
your group has done in the past with its funds. We want to put money in
the hands of those who are most likely to do something good with it.
Above all, we always follow the criteria in the Budgetary Procedures
Act. These criteria are extremely important for every organization to
be aware of. Click here to view the criteria.
Tip: DO NOT INFLATE YOUR BUDGET. The committee looks at approximately
150 budgets, so it can easily spot an organization that is requesting
more than it really needs or could realistically be allocated.
According to the Budgetary Procedures Act (BPA), this counts against
your organization. This is easily the most common flaw in
organizational budgets. It makes it impossible for the committee to
know what the groups really need. Groups tend to get more money when
they make it clear what they need and request reasonable amounts.
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Why did a group similar to mine get more money?
This could be for a number of different reasons. There's no set formula
that says a certain type of group with X amount of people will get a
certain amount of money. Every group is looked at individually. Their
events, accounts, budget quality, scope, and size are all evaluated as
described in the criteria in the BPA. It's common to see two groups
who sound similar at first, but operate in completely different ways.
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Why didn't
my group get all the money we requested?
It would take millions of dollars to fulfill the requests of all the
organizations. If your group doesn't receive all the money it
requested, it isn't because you did anything wrong. Very few groups
receive all the money they request. However, this doesn't mean an
organization should request more than they need. It's very easy for the
committee to spot an inflated budget, since we evaluate over 300 of
them. Inflating your budget counts against your organization. The
groups that have historically gotten most of what they requested are
those that made realistic, honest requests. It's easier to know what a
group really needs and trust their requests when their budget is an
honest reflection of their plans and goals for the upcoming year.
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