Newsletter
MSUMcMASTER.CA/clubs
A Message FromYour MSU Vice President (Finance)
Hi MSU Clubs, I hope you all are having a great start to the 2015/16 academic year. My name is Daniel D’Angela and I am the MSU’s Vice President (Finance). This past year the MSU has invested significantly into the clubs department. We budget over $106,000 for clubs to spend this year, and introduced MSU Bucks to help with those internal MSU costs. We did this as an organization to better support your respective clubs because the MSU understands and realizes the tremendous impact you have on this campus. Without clubs, thousands of students wouldn’t have the opportunity to get involved, and make McMaster and our greater communities even better. Please let me know if you ever have any questions, comments or concerns.
October 2015
Budgets The MSU Clubs Department continues to be one of the best funded student club systems in the country. Every year the MSU allocates a significant amount of money to the MSU Clubs Department to help enhance student life on campus and in the community. All clubs were required to send in a completed budget to the Clubs Administrator with estimates of costs and revenues for their operations for the year. These budget templates are then reviewed by the Clubs Administrator and the MSU’ VP Finance. After 8 hours
of budget meetings and discussions, the budgets for clubs for the 2015/16 academic year have been allocated. We are excited to announce that this year approximately 50% of our clubs were allocated more than the average amount ($300). Additionally, 65% of clubs got more money than they did last year which shows the Department’s commitment to providing clubs with more support and resources for their operations. Each club will be contacted privately after the Fall Break and be made aware of their allocation for the 2015/16 year.
Claiming Money As per usual, clubs can claim money from their allocations by submitting reimbursement forms with valid receipts to the Clubs Administrator. These reimbursements forms can be found on the MSU finances page. Reimbursement approvals are made at the discretion of the Clubs Administrator - any purchases that don’t benefit the entire club or the general student body will not be approved for reimbursement. NEW THIS YEAR: Reimbursement forms must be
submitted each semester this year. If a club needs to be reimbursed for anything in Term 1 (Sept - Dec) all reimbursement forms must be submitted by December 16th; Term 2 (Jan - April) by April 15th. After a club has been approved for reimbursements, a cheque will then be available to the club in the following 2 weeks. All cheques are made in the club’s name and not to personal accounts.
Thanks, Daniel D’Angela MSU Vice President (Finance) vpfinance@msu.mcmaster.ca
Deadlines & Reminders
• Clubs must submit claim forms for reimbursement each semester this academic year • Underground Charge Account must be created before credit at Underground can be used
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MSUMcMASTER.CA/clubs Events Oct. 19
Federal Election; Bridges: Life Science Society Coffee House Oct. 23 Halloween Movie Night; SCSN Pumpkin Hike 2015 Oct. 26 Bridges: Kids4Kids Coffee House Oct. 29 QSCC Gayzer Tag Oct. 30 Campus Events Hollerado Halloween Concert
New Club Applications The MSU Clubs Department is proud to host over 300 clubs this year. Applications for new MSU clubs for Term 2 (January) will open on November 6th. Information regarding requirements, documentation, and the process is available at https:// www.msumcmaster.ca/clubs/ starting-a-club. Please check the page on November 1st when more information about the application process will be available. Applicants will have until November 29th at 11:59 PM to submit their applications. The Clubs Administrator will then host interviews with the successful applicants and recommendations will then be made to the Student Representative Assembly (SRA) for ratification.
October 2015
Club Spotlight: Smiling Over Sickness McMaster Smiling Over Sickness was founded in 2002 with the mission of helping sick children smile. One of the largest clubs in our club system, they have over 600 general members with 60+ junior and senior executives. With their goal to raise awareness and support for pediatric patients through our fundraising and volunteer initiatives, they’ve raised thousands of dollars for local and national organizations and have collectively performed over 1500 hours of community service in a single academic year. They work very closely with the patients and families at McMaster Children’s Hospital and Ronald McDonald House. Their contributions earned them the MSU
Club of the Year during the 2012/13 and 2013/14 academic years. They were also honored with the J. Lynn Watson Award for Community Service in 2011, 2012 and 2014. One of their large upcoming events is Shave for A Cure on Monday, November 16th at MUSC Atrium, where they raise money for Camp Trillium, to provide year-round recreational experiences for pediatric cancer patients and their families. At this event, professional hair stylists shave the heads of participants while raising money. Last year they raised over $6000 at this event. If you are interested in participating, check out their website sosmcmaster.ca or email them at sos@mcmaster.ca
On the Rise:
McMaster League of Legends Association Each year, MSU Clubs seeks to ratify new clubs that wish to join the ranks. The McMaster League of Legends Association, ratified this year, provides a social network for those interested in the immensely popular multiplayer online battle arena game, League of Legends. The club welcomes both casual and competitive players who enjoy the real-time strategy game. The club proudly boasts its Competitive Collegiate League of Legends Team, a group of core players who will be competing with other academic groups in a North American tournament. Last year, the McMaster team placed 8th overall. The team is
hoping to do even better this year, in a tournament carrying a grand prize of $180,000 in scholarships split for each of the six team members. Martin Kyorkis, club co-president, said “other schools are recognizing their League clubs as sports clubs, and the players on the main team are considered Varsity athletes.” He is looking to “prepare a proposal...to do the same here,” bringing the club in line with its counterparts at other institutions. The club can be contacted via maclolassociation@gmail.com, or by a message through their Facebook page (search “McMaster League of Legends Association”).