A Resolution on GSO Allocation of SOAC Travel Funding

Author: Kim Suedkamp Wells, Craig Pullins, and Chadwick Rittenhouse

WHEREAS, The Wildlife and Fisheries Graduate Student Organization (WAFGSO), as part of our Mission Statement, promotes the professional, educational, and intellectual advancement of graduate students in our department; and

WHEREAS, WAFGSO officers pursue travel funding available from the Student Organization Allocation Committee (SOAC) to support travel to professional conference for our graduate students; and

WHEREAS, WAFGSO submits each travel budget request to SOAC, depending on whether we have been allocated our maximum amount of $2000 per academic year, that is guided by travel budget requests submitted by students attending and presenting at conferences to WAFGSO officers in accordance with WAFGSO Travel Funding Request Guidelines and culminates in a formal vote by our organization for specific allocation requests for each conference; and

WHEREAS, WAFGSO receives notification of our SOAC allocation and may need to reduce the amount of funding available for each conference due to an equal reduction from SOAC across all requesting organizations that results in smaller awards than originally requested by WAFGSO; and

WHEREAS, All notifications of travel funding from SOAC are final and additional reimbursement requests are not possible due to their funding procedures and pertinent deadlines, and additional requests for SOAC or GSO funds must be proposed and voted on prior to travel and within all appropriate deadlines where SOAC funding is involved, and

THEREFORE, LET IT BE RESOLVED,

That passage of this resolution constitutes the official policy of the WAFGSO on travel funding allocations by SOAC and shall be distributed to all students, faculty, the department chair, and director of graduate studies via e-mail. In addition, the Graduate Faculty Representative will distribute orally via their report at the next meeting of the Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences Faculty meeting.