About

Starting Semester: Fall 2024
Assigned: Yes
Location: Atlanta

Student Government Association

Client Profile

The Student Government Association at Georgia Tech (SGA) consists of two governing bodies: the Undergraduate and Graduate Student Government Associations, each with a tricameral structure modeled on the United States Government. One of the primary responsibilities of the SGA is allocation of roughly $2.1 million in revenue collected from the Student Activity Fee administered to all in-person graduate and undergraduate students each year.

Project Description

Background



Until the Spring of 2020, administration of the Student Activity Fee (SAF) followed a strict policy that differentiated organizations into tiers based on their perceived impact upon the student body, with all final allocation decisions made by a representatively elected group of students known as the Joint Finance Committee (JFC). Following a settlement in the Spring of 2020, policy regarding allocation of the SAF was drastically changed, preventing any differentiation of policy between campus organizations (i.e., removing the tier system), as well as preventing any subjective decision-making on the part of JFC (i.e., if it meets policy, the money is allocated). Though the impact of the change was postponed by COVID-19, this new system proved to be unsustainable. In the Fall of 2023, SGA was forced to close its funding process to all Student Organizations in November due to insufficient funds, and once again in February of 2024 after two weeks of being reopened; closing this process was an unprecedented occurrence, and a direct result of the change in policy.



Objective



SGA funding is vital to the operations of many student organizations, serving over 150 groups to the tune of over $2 million. However, recent constraints placed on allocation policy coupled with rising costs and volatility in demand has left some organizations without their fair share, as evidenced by the closing of the funding process mid-year in 2023 and 2024. This project aims to provide recommendations for policy or procedures that:

1. Maximize the benefit of this pool of money to the student body, by some metric;

2. Accurately assess the risk of insolvency or funding closure, and provide steps for mitigating that risk;

3. Ensure funding is allocated equitably to all students to the highest degree possible;

4. Are resilient to changing supply and demand, as well as turnover in leadership;

While ensuring that:

1. No entity is required to make subjective decisions about whether funding should be allocated to a particular request, save those that ensure policy compliance;

2. No organization is explicitly treated differently than any other, to the extent that is reasonable.

Skills

• Data Analysis
• Stochastic Processes
• Demand/Inventory Management
• Process Improvement
• Creativity and Adaptability
• Economics and Policy