Senate Bill #30
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Presented to the Senate floor on
January 23, 2014.
Authored by:
Co-authored by:
Introduced by:
ONG
Sandstrom, Smythe
Mitchell
Referred to:
Internal Affairs Commission
Business and Finance Commission
Internal Affairs Commission
Business and Finance Commission
Recommendation:
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An ASUCD Senate Bill to establish the creation of a new unit, the Associated Students of the University
of California, Davis (ASUCD) Awards Endowment.
BACKGROUND: The ASUCD Awards Endowment Fund was created in 1999 under then-ASUCD
President Phong La and is now managed by the UC Davis Foundation. The fund began with a transfer
of $50,000 from ASUCD reserves and 10% of the accrued surplus at the end of each fiscal year was
transferred to the Awards Endowment Fund until a minimum of $500,000 was reached. In years with
an annual budget surplus in Senate Reserves, ASUCD transfers 5% of that surplus into the
Endowment Fund. The fund also relies heavily on the generosity of the Aggie community; and through
the hard work of students and donations from faculty, staff, administration, and alumni, the
Endowment has grown to over $400,000. The ASUCD Awards Endowment serves as the funding
source of the ASUCD Scholarship. Since the establishment of the fund, all fundraising efforts have
been performed by students, which highlights the strength of the “students helping students” model
within the Association.
The ASUCD Scholarship provides tuition support for more than a dozen outstanding UC Davis students
annually. Every Fall and Spring quarter, prizes of $500 and $1,000 are awarded to exceptional
students in need by the ASUCD Scholarship committee, which is comprised of ASUCD student
leadership and supervised by the ASUCD Business manager. The ASUCD Scholarship is awarded based
on a minimum requirement of good academic standing, and selection is based on a holistic
assessment of various qualities and achievements. Given the difficult economic conditions that
students face, it has become increasingly difficult to balance work and other responsibilities with
academics. A student who works to pay for school may not be able to achieve a 3.25 GPA, but may
still merit recognition for achievements in areas such as involvement in extracurricular activities,
financial hardship, and service to the community. The ASUCD Scholarship serves to recognize and
Senate Bill #30
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reward these students for their outstanding achievements and is unique in the fact that recipients of
the award are selected by a panel compromised predominantly of student peers.
In 2011, ASUCD passed SB #18 (LEE) and committed to taking a proactive role by leading the
“Campaign for ASUCD Scholarships.” The campaign instituted fundraising efforts within the
Association and committed to matching every dollar donated to the Endowment Fund, up to a total of
$50,000 by the end of the 2011-2012 academic year. SB #47 (SHEEHAN) served to extend the
contribution matching period for the Campaign for ASUCD Scholarships to the end of the 2012-2013
academic year in order to ensure that the campaign had ample time to market itself and receive
adequate support and donations from alumni and the greater UC Davis community.
Over the course of two academic years, ASUCD student leaders have spear-headed fundraising efforts
to surpass the campaign’s goal of $50,000. This goal was successfully surpassed with the support of
students, faculty, staff, alumni, local businesses, and community members. In 2013, ASUCD passed
SB #126 (KASLIWAL) to authorize the transfer of $50,000 from Unrestricted Reserves to the ASUCD
Awards Endowment Fund in light of the promise made by the campaign to all donors.
Due to inconsistencies and high turnover in ASUCD leadership, the ASUCD Awards Endowment has
often times been neglected. It has been due to the recent efforts led by ASUCD students that
advocates for the Endowment have increased through events and fundraising initiatives such as the
5K Stride for Aggie Pride. Without a specific point person in the Association to carry on development
efforts, connect with campus departments, and perform duties pertaining to the Endowment Fund,
there has been an increasing need to institutionalize fundraising and development efforts within the
Association. Furthermore, studies have shown that having strong alumni and donor relations is
important to the well-being of any nonprofit or corporate organization. However, ASUCD currently
does not have such a development structure in place and is lacking in areas such as development and
donor relations. For these reasons, this bill proposes the creation of the ASUCD Awards Endowment
unit as follows.
Section 1. The ASUCD Senate hereby recognizes the ASUCD Awards Endowment Unit and shall adhere
to the following guidelines:
Mission
The ASUCD Awards Endowment serves as the main office of development for the Association. The unit
aims to strengthen the Association’s donor relations and raise awareness and funds for the ASUCD
Awards Endowment, which serves as the funding source for the ASUCD Scholarship.
Personnel
The ASUCD Awards Endowment will have seven (7) positions, all of which will be volunteer positions
until an audit of the unit is conducted for the positions to be considered for stipend pay in the 20142015 ASUCD fiscal budget.
Chairperson: The Chairperson oversees the Board of Directors, carries out the vision for the Awards
Endowment, works closely with the ASUCD Business Manager and the university’s Office of
Development, and works with the Events Director and ASUCD Vice President to plan the ASUCD
Scholarship receptions in fall and spring quarters. The Chairperson is hired by the ASUCD President
and ASUCD Business Manager.
Internal Outreach Director: The Internal Outreach Director is responsible for outreach to ASUCD units,
ASUCD student leaders, campus departments, list serves, and registered student organizations in
securing partnerships and sponsorships for the ASUCD Awards Endowment. The Internal Outreach
Director also works closely with the Events Director to host campus events to increase the visibility of
the ASUCD Awards Endowment on campus.
External Outreach Director: The External Outreach Director is responsible for outreach to the greater
community, corporate sponsors, and alumni in securing partnerships and sponsorships for the ASUCD
Awards Endowment. The External Outreach Director also works closely with the Chairperson to
maintain donor relations and rapport among supporters of the Endowment Fund. This is including, but
not limited to, hosting donor appreciation events and sending out thank you letters to donors.
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Events Director: The Events Director is responsible for working closely with the Fundraising Director to
plan and execute events that benefit or raise awareness towards the Awards Endowment Fund. The
Events Direct is also charged with tabling on campus and at sporting events, and is responsible for
serving as the sole representative on event planning committees which involve the ASUCD Awards
Endowment, such as the 5K Stride for Aggie Pride.
Fundraising Director: The Fundraising Director is responsible for working with the Board of Directors to
plan and execute events or initiatives that raise funds for the ASUCD Awards Endowment. The
Fundraising Director is also responsible for maintaining a directory of donors and establishing tiers of
sponsorship levels for the ASUCD Awards Endowment Fund.
Communications Director: The Communications Director is responsible for maintaining a professional
image of the ASUCD Awards Endowment through all forms of media, publicizing events and initiatives
put on by the Board of Directors, and effectively branding the mission and impact of the unit. More
specifically, this includes maintaining the ASUCD Awards Endowment website and Facebook pages,
drafting press releases, working with the ASUCD Vice President to publicize the openings for the
ASUCD Scholarship applications, and utilizing ASUCD units such as Creative Media, AggieTV, and The
California Aggie as resources that help achieve branding goals.
Membership Director: The Membership Director is responsible for the recruitment and management of
the Board of Directors as well as volunteers. This is including, but not limited to, staff development
and leadership training, and staff/ volunteer appreciation events.
Section 2. The ASUCD Senate hereby amends Section 1103.A(4) of the ASUCD Bylaws as follows:
The ASUCD Awards Endowment Unit shall be responsible for development efforts on behalf of the
ASUCD Awards Endowment. The ASUCD Awards Endowment Chairperson shall prepare a report to the
ASUCD Senate at least once a quarter on the status of development efforts.
Section 3. The ASUCD Senate hereby amends Section 1902.A(2) of the ASUCD Bylaws as follows:
The ASUCD Executive Office (President, Vice President, Controller, Chief of Staff, and executive office
staff), members of the ASUCD Awards Endowment Board of Directors, and the voting and ex-officio
members of the ASUCD Senate shall not be eligible for any ASUCD Scholarship while they are
currently in office or holding a position.
Section 4. A Long-Range Plan for the Unit shall be written and introduced by the last ASUCD Senate
meeting of spring quarter 2014.
Finance: No
Appropriation: None
Vote: Majority