Sanctus Artem hosts weekly events, including Painting on the Quad. @SANCTUSARTEM / INSTAGRAM
Gabriella Dickson, Staff Writer
At Manhattan University, most clubs are officially recognized and receive funding from the Student Government Association (SGA), while there are a handful of other clubs that are not officially recognized and receive no funding at all. Whether clubs are SGA funded or not, most host their own fundraisers to maximize student experience and the events they’re able to hold each semester.
Allyson Haskins, a junior communication and marketing double major, as well as campus coordinator of MU’s chapter of Her Campus, spoke to The Quadrangle about what it’s like to be a part of a student-run organization at Manhattan University.
“It’s definitely a little bit stressful, but overall it’s really fun,” Haskins said. “It’s also really nice to see how everybody comes together from all different majors as well.”
Haskins mentioned that Her Campus was one of the clubs that did not receive any funding from SGA, and touched on how clubs such as her own may struggle to keep up with maintaining club standards.
“We actually didn’t receive funding from the student government,” Haskins said. “We used to in the past, but then we had gone dormant. We didn’t have a president until I took over again for a semester. So we ended up losing funding, and now it’s been a struggle to get it back. But luckily since we’re a national organization, we do get opportunities to have free items for events and such.”
Lucas Haas, president of Sanctus Artem and a senior environmental studies major, spoke to The Quadrangle about how funding is handled for his club, and how budgets have been tight recently.
“I guess they [student government] try to be as fair as possible, and like the other club leaders I talked to, it seems like we all have similar budgets for our respective clubs,” Haas said. “But I will say that all of our budgets are kind of tight on money. We have to be real smart about stretching our dollars, to which I have been super creative with. Just keeping costs down definitely takes some creativity.”
Maggie Shediac, senior communication major and the president of Sigma Delta Tau (SDT), spoke to The Quadrangle about her experience being affiliated with a number of different clubs around campus.
“I honestly think that being in a club here is really, really rewarding,” Shediac said. “I’ve made a lot of my friends through the different clubs that I’m in on campus. I’m the president of Sigma Delta Tau, and I’m also involved in our Public Relations Student Society of America [PRSSA] club as well as Lotus Magazine, where I am an editor. I really enjoy it all, and I think it’s a great way to meet more people.”
Shediac also went on to speak about how SDT being a non-profit organization does not raise money for itself, but rather relies on the support of the university’s budget. She went on to explain how there are several events held throughout the year that are implemented to raise money for the sorority’s philanthropies.
“Well, because the sorority doesn’t do any fundraising for our club itself, we do different fundraising events throughout the semester for our philanthropies,” Shediac said. “They’re called the Jewish Women’s International (JWI), and then also Prevent Child Abuse America (PCAA). Just a couple of weeks ago we also did a new member bake sale on the quad… but because we’re a nonprofit organization, we don’t raise money for ourselves, which is why the school’s budget that they give us is really important.”
While some clubs may receive funding and others do not, Haas made it a point to also raise awareness about the concept of funding for clubs here at MU, and how it is important to recognize that it is a necessary part for many student-run organizations to operate successfully.
“I would say funding awareness is super important,” Haas said. “Because it’s something that you’re a part of as a member of the club, and you may not think about it much, but money doesn’t just come out of nowhere. And so, it’s really important to focus on where clubs are going to be able to get this money from, and how they will be able to carry out all these activities for the members.”