Please carefully review the updated/revised policies which are in place effective Aug. 1, 2022. As always, you can find a complete listing of policies and procedures for student organizations at http://involvement.ubalt.edu/csei. Please feel free to reach out to CSEI at engagement@ubalt.edu if you have any questions.
UPDATE: Student Organization Classifications
CSEI is soley responsible for determining the classification of all registered student organizations. Effective July 1, 2022, registered student organizations under the purview of CSEI will be classified as follows:
- Block-funded Organizations: Organizations that serve a campus-wide mission and are funded in a “block” (or lump sum) each fiscal year by agency fees in accordance with CSEI policy on Block-funded Organizations. These organizations require extensive full-time advising to support their mission.
- Allocated Organizations: These organizations are funded through allocation by the SGA Finance Board and in accordance with CSEI policy on student organization allocations. These organizations request funds twice per year – through an initial budget request each Spring and through a supplemental request each Fall. They may also fundraise revenue to support their allocated budgets. These organizations are served by an advisor who is a full-time professional staff or faculty member at the University of Baltimore.
- Non-Allocated Organizations: These organizations do not request funds from SGA Finance Committee and operate with no budget. They exist for the purpose of fellowship and community or special interests, have access to the Campus Groups Portal, and can reserve space on campus. They are advised centrally by CSEI.
CSEI Policy for Block-funded Organizations
The Rosenberg Center for Student Engagement and Inclusion, as a steward of agency funds for block-funded organizations on campus, establishes the following funding policy for the disbursement of initial allocations to Student Government Association and Student Events Board.1. The Student Government Association will be provided a budget worth 22% of the overall student agency fee budget or $55,000, whichever of the two is greater.
2. The Student Events Board will be provided a budget worth 22% of the overall student agency fee budget or $50,000, whichever of the two is greater.
3. If SGA, and SEB are funded based on their minimum percentages, SGA Admin will be provided a budget worth 17% of the overall student agency fee budget. If SGA and SEB are funded based on their minimum values, SGA Admin will be provided a budget minimum of $35,000 after SGA and SEB have been funded.
4. The remaining funds will be allocated to the SGA Finance Committee for disbursement to student organizations.
5. Any funds from the student agency fee budget that remain unallocated at the end of the block-funded organization allocation process will be automatically granted to the SGA Finance Committee for supplemental funding to student organizations.
- Any carry-forward funds will be added to the supplemental funding amount.
- Student organizations will have priority to request supplemental funds.
- After all student organizations have had an opportunity to request supplemental funds, SGA and SEB may request supplemental funds.
- SEB supplemental funding requests will be presented to the SGA Finance Committee
- SGA supplemental funding requests will be presented to the Senate as a Finance Bill and will require passage according to Senate guidelines.
CSEI Policy for Student Government and Student Organization Elections
CSEI encourages all registered student organizations to conduct elections in a fair, consistent, and ethical manner to ensure all students have an equal opportunity to participate and to ensure the integrity of any elections process.
As the unit responsible for oversight of all registered student organizations, CSEI requires the following for all elections:
- Elections must be facilitated in a manner that complies with the organizations’ constitution, University of Baltimore policies and procedures, and all applicable State of Maryland policies and procedures.
- The constitution governing the election must have been approved by CSEI by the first day of classes of the semester during which the election occurs. Otherwise, the constitution on file by the first day of classes of that semester will be used to administer the election and qualify candidates.
- All decisions to disqualify candidates from an election must be in compliance with guidelines and governing documents and are subject to review by CSEI.
- CSEI reserves the right to review election policy and procedure based on the following criteria:
- Fair and viewpoint neutral approach
- Adherence to current constitutional documents
- UBalt policy and procedure
- CSEI will notify groups in writing of any required changes to election policy or procedure or if they determine that the above criteria are not met.
- Organizations may appeal a CSEI decision related to student organization elections in accordance with the following guidelines.:
- Appeals must be submitted in writing to the Center for Student Engagement and Inclusion within 5 business days following notification of a CSEI decision. Appeals should indicate the specific grounds on which the appeal is based and present all information that supports this claim. This information may include 1) new information not previously known prior to the decision being issued; 2) procedural errors that may have impacted the fairness or process of the decision; 3) a claim that the severity of the decision is not congruent with the violation.
- CSEI will appoint a professional staff member to review the appeal. The appointed professional staff member will review all documentation and determine whether there are valid grounds for an appeal or not. If the grounds of the appeal are determined valid, the CSEI Director or designee will convene an ad-hoc committee of Student Success and Support Services staff members to consider the matter.
- If the organization wishes to further appeal decisions after review by CSEI, or if the interested parties have concerns with CSEI’s handling of the election process, those concerns should be directed to the Executive Director of Student Development in the Office of the Associate Vice President for Student Success and Support Services.
CSEI Policy on Student Organization Financial Requests (Addendum)
CSEI reserves the right to deny payment requests based on the following criteria:
- Requests submitted incomplete/late (less than 6 weeks prior to expected payment date)
- Requests that violate any CSEI, UBalt, or State of MD policy
- Requests that, due to their nature or complexity, are unable to be processed due to current staffing levels
For any student organization travel request (in state or out of state), an officer of the requesting organization must meet with a CSEI Team member prior to paying for or booking any travel. This meeting may only be waived at the discretion of CSEI. Any travel that has been paid for prior to submitting a payment request or that does not align with CSEI policy on student organization travel may not be honored by CSEI for payment and will become the responsibility of the purchaser.