Riverside City College collects an optional “student services fee” every semester during registration. But who gets this money and who decides what to do with it? The answers are found in the governing documents for the Associated Students of Riverside City College. 

Every spring, nine ASRCC members form the Budget Committee to split the Student Services Fee Fund between student government, clubs, organizations and athletic teams for the next fiscal year, according to ASRCC’s Constitution and Finance Policy.

“All that money is meant for them to be able to do fun things here on campus,” Inter-Club Council Chief of Staff Lilly Phillips said as she sat alongside ICC Director Sierra Moreno.

But it’s not something everyone knows about. 

ASRCC Adviser Megan Bottoms shared with club representatives at the March 9 ICC meeting how to get a piece of the student fee pie this year.

When Bottoms asked the club representatives during her presentation how many had a budget, only three raised their hands, even though 37 clubs received a total of $203,096 from the budget committee last spring.

Phillips said sometimes there is a communication problem across clubs, where previous presidents don’t always inform next year’s officers of their budgets.

When new club representatives see how much they have and should use in the budget, “it’s always a shock for at least a good half of the room,” said Phillips. 

Moreno has made information about club budgets a part of the official ICC meeting agendas to help bridge this communication gap.

The lack of communication is “not just a club thing, it’s an ‘us’ thing too,” said Moreno.

Emma Wuysang is an RCC computer science major and former ASRCC senator. Since becoming a leader in multiple clubs, Wuysang has helped them get funds.

At first, Wuysang discovered that clubs starting in the fall were depending on previous presidents to go through the budget request process during the committee hearings the previous semester.

“We didn’t have as much as we thought we had,” Wuysang said of her first club.

Bottoms said every eligible student organization which turns in the budget request forms by 4 p.m. on April 29 can be scheduled for a 15-minute time slot on May 11 to 13 to present and pitch their requests to the budget committee.

Bottoms noted that the online request form is from the previous year but is still valid, aside from the timeline and important dates listed on it.

Moreno, Phillips and Wuysang all gave the same advice when it comes to creating a budget request for the committee be as thorough and detailed as possible about what you need the funding for.

“It can be daunting to have a lot of questions thrown at you,” and if you don’t know why the numbers are the way they are, that takes away from your credibility, Wuysang said. 

At the same time, Wuysang also expressed a need for boldness and honesty. 

“It’s weird to ask for less than what you need,” Wuysang said.

Even without an approved budget, student organization officers can still petition the ASRCC Senate for funding directly.

Aerospace Club president Al Masnur heard about the funding request process while part of the Engineering Club, but his new club didn’t exist during last spring’s budget hearings, Masnur told Viewpoints. 

So Masnur and his club officers attended the senate meeting on March 10, requesting $500 to complete construction of a radio-controlled aircraft—dubbed Fairchild X01—they had started with their own money.

The plane is modeled and named after the Fairchild C-119 “Flying Boxcar” produced in the 1940’s to 1950’s, Masnur said.

Masnur said once it’s completed, the project documentation can be used by club members in their applications to 4-year universities.

After senators awarded the $500 to the Aerospace Club, they applauded the club officers. 

“I wish we could do more, I do,” Phillips said of funding student organizations, and paused.

“I think we do a hell of a lot,” Moreno said. 

Student organizations looking for help with their budget request forms can attend one of Bottoms’ drop-in sessions on April 2 from 1-3 p.m. in the Heritage Room, Bradshaw Center.