Regarding Recent USS Funding Halt
A Message from Dr. Shondrika Merritt, Associate Provost for Student Affairs and Dean of Students; and Andrade Fearon, Senior Director of Student Leadership, Involvement and Transition Experiences, USS Advisor
Dear Students,
We hope all is well and that you are excited about the start of the new academic year.
As you may have seen, on Friday, the University Student Senate (USS) shared in an email to students their intent to “suspend all external funding operations until the Investment Committee votes in favor of divestment.” While we fully respect the authority of these student leaders to make critical decisions on behalf of the student community, it is crucial that decisions are made in accordance with the Senate Constitution to ensure that all student concerns and interests are met by the Senate and the university. We are committed to working with the Student Senate to ensure that all constitutional and university guidelines and procedures were properly followed when making this decision.
Each year, the university entrusts the Student Senate with the ability to fund programs, events, and student projects using the $8.00 Student Senate Fee collected from all enrolled students on our campus. The Student Senate Finance Committee specifically handles this fee allocation in partnership with staff from Student Success. Budget requests are submitted from students in accordance with policy and procedures outlined in this Fall 2024-2025 Funding Guidelines to ensure that all University Fees collected by the institution are allocated to all students fairly and equitably.
It is important to note that the Student Senate Fee is not a fee that is owned or solely managed by the Student Senate but rather a University Fee collected by the university to support the University Student Senate mission to promote and safeguard student life on campus. The ability of the Student Senate Finance Committee to allocate funds to our registered student organizations and student leaders is a privilege that the university entrusts to the Student Senate. The Student Senate cannot withhold this fee as it is a University Fee that must be collected and allocated to all students within the year the fee was collected, as outlined in this Senate Fee Spending Policy. Additionally, the fee’s management and allocation are governed not by the Student Senate constitution but rather by the Fall 2024-2025 Funding Guidelines.
To ensure continued access and support for all students on campus, we will temporarily transfer the responsibility of managing this university fee to the Division of Student Success. This decision was made with careful consideration, as this fee is crucial to the work of student leaders on campus. While we respect any student or student organizations that choose to stand in solidarity with the Student Senate’s decision, it is essential for the university to be able to distribute these resources to our students so that we may enhance campus life and the student experience.
If you have any questions, please email studentquestions@newschool.edu.