Finance Board

The Finance Board is one of the main branches of government in SGA.

Membership
The Finance Board’s members include the Vice President for Student Organizations, the Treasurer, and five Finance Board Representatives, all of whom are elected by the student body. In addition, the Finance Board can add up to three nonvoting First Year Ambassadors each fall. Also, the President, Executive Vice President and SGA Advisor, as well as UMBC's President and Vice President for Student Affairs, are ex-officio (nonvoting) Finance Board members.

The voting members elect a Chair, who runs the weekly meetings and organizes the Finance Board’s work, and a Vice Chair, who assists the Chair.

Key Responsibilities
Allocating Funds to Student Organizations

The Finance Board is responsible for managing the portion of SGA’s annual budget that is set aside to support student organizations. Throughout the academic year, student organizations can request funds by completing an Allocation Request Form and submitting it to the Treasurer. The total amount requested each year is far larger than the total amount of funding available.

At its weekly meetings, the Finance Board reviews these forms and (for larger requests) meets with officers of the student organizations that submitted them, and considers whether each request meets the following criteria:

The Finance Board takes a vote on each request, approving it, disapproving it, or postponing consideration until a later date. A majority of members must vote in favor of a request in order to approve it. The President may veto allocations approved by the Finance Board, and the Finance Board can override the President’s veto by a 2/3 vote
 * 1) The rules governing Finance Board allocations do not prohibit funding the request (i.e., it was not submitted after the deadline, the funds will not be used to purchase alcohol, the funds will not be donated to charity, etc.); and
 * 2) The proposed use of these funds is so worthwhile that the Finance Board is willing to turn down other requests in order to devote these funds to the group’s objective.

Communicating with Student Organizations

The Finance Board communicated with student organizations about how to submit requests, the rules governing Finance Board allocations, what makes for a good request, and whether requests have been approved, disapproved or postponed.

Participating in SGA Decision-Making

The Finance Board shares responsibility with the Senate and other SGA officers in connection with decisions about the annual budget, allocations from the General Ledger, and approval of certain appointed officers.

Participating in SGA Initiatives and Activities

Finance Board members work with members of the other branches of SGA to contribute to positive change on campus. Finance Board members help identify and develop ways to support student organizations more effectively, such as improvements to the event planning and implementation process.