Illustration by Lexi Forman, Cartoonist
Since Chapman University’s Student Government Association (SGA) was frozen on March 16, the Student Activity Fee Advisory Committee (SAFAC) has taken over funding allocations for campus organizations, raising questions about how the transition is affecting clubs that rely on financial support.
SGA was placed on frozen status following a controversial election cycle involving disputed results, disqualifications and allegations of university policy violations. The decision prevented SGA from conducting official business, including overseeing the budget.
SGA’s Allocations Committee traditionally managed day-to-day club budgets. Although SAFAC has taken over those responsibilities, university officials explain that funding has continued without interruption.
Bob Hitchcock, Chapman’s director of strategic communications, responded on behalf of the Student Affairs team and emphasized that students still have access to financial support.
“Student funding continues without interruption,” Hitchcock said. “The Student Activity Fee Advisory Committee will temporarily administer Student Activity Fee funding for individual students, student organizations and co-sponsorships, ensuring students continue to have access to funding for activities, programs, and educational opportunities.”
However, for members of Chapman’s Speech and Debate Club, the transition has raised concerns about communication and whether the funding requirements accommodate the needs of different student organizations.
Gracie Moe, a senior and vice president of the debate team, said the club is working to establish itself on the California collegiate debate circuit, which requires traveling to tournaments hosted by other universities. These competitions come with expenses that can add up quickly.
“Our tournament fees are high, and we have school entry fees, and judge entry fees, and we have transportation,” Moe said.
Moe said the team’s last funding request, submitted for a tournament during the spring semester, was approved shortly before SGA was suspended. Since then, the team has struggled to navigate SAFAC’s application process and communicate with those overseeing funding.
“I think the biggest thing is just the lack of communication that we’ve been seeing from SAFAC,” Moe said.
According to Chapman’s student funding webpage, organizations must submit funding applications through Panther Connect at least three weeks before an event or planned purchase. Applications submitted after that deadline are automatically denied. Requests also must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. on Fridays to be reviewed the following week.
For the debate team, Moe said meeting the three-week deadline is particularly difficult because tournament applications require the club to determine which students will attend and how they will travel.
“It’s really hard to nail down people’s schedules three weeks in advance,” Moe said.
Moe explained that the team recently had to withdraw from a planned tournament because it could not meet the application deadline. The team did not submit a funding request for that tournament, meaning the decision was not the result of a rejected application.
Beyond the deadline, Moe said SAFAC’s funding categories have presented another challenge for the team, which needs financial support for individual students competing in multiple competitions throughout the semester.
“Our club doesn’t really fit into one of the sub-sects because we require specific funding per person, per tournament, and they have it labeled as specific limits on funding per semester,” Moe said.
Chapman’s funding guidelines outline separate application processes and eligibility requirements for student organizations, conference sponsorships and co-sponsored events. Conference funding, for example, is limited to $750 per student per term, regardless of the number of conferences attended.
Although SAFAC has taken on additional responsibilities, Hitchcock explained that the committee was not created in response to SGA’s suspension. Established more than seven years ago, SAFAC includes students, faculty, Student Affairs staff and the vice president and dean of students.
The committee’s purpose is to advise university leadership on student activities and the use of student activity fees, rather than to make final funding decisions independently.
“SAFAC serves in an advisory capacity; final decisions regarding funding, fees and other matters remain with the appropriate university leadership and established university processes,” Hitchcock said.
Despite the committee’s student representation, Moe said she would like to see more direct communication between students and those responsible for funding decisions.
She said a student involved in the funding process recently began helping the team navigate its requests, but she felt the club had received little assistance from SAFAC faculty members.
“It’s all coming from faculty that we have little to no contact with,” Moe said.
When asked what she would like to see changed, Moe emphasized the need for “more communication and more leniency.”
“Not everything fits in the tight, neat little box that they have created,” Moe said.
Chapman’s SGA webpage states that a university review of the organization remains underway and that SGA will not conduct official organizational business until the process concludes.
In the meantime, SAFAC continues to administer funding for student organizations, campus departments and individual undergraduate students, according to the university’s student funding webpage.
While Hitchcock maintains that student funding has continued uninterrupted, the debate team’s experience highlights the challenges some organizations face in navigating the current system. As SGA remains frozen, the question is not simply whether funding is available, but whether student organizations can access it in ways that meet their needs.