Associated Students have awarded 26 scholarships this spring–an award rate of just 0.07%, but a notable increase over previous semesters.
“Let’s show students we are still awarding a proportionate amount of scholarships to our operating budget, that we are truly student-focused and that we are aware of their current struggles and doing all we can to help,” Sen. Alyssa Walter said during a recent Finance Board meeting.
The Committee of Colleges under Associated Students offers scholarships each fall and spring, funded directly by student fees. The awards go to the students determined to have the highest need. Due to budget limitations, the group typically distributes a small amount – just over $32,000 across both semesters this year.
However, an increase in enrollment led to a higher pool of student fees and a one-time funding boost. The committee successfully requested an additional $17,500 from the Associated Students’ discretionary budget to expand this semester’s awards.
“Specifically, we asked to triple the number of housing and commuter scholarships because those were our most applied-to categories,” Walter said. “We really wanted to address the needs students were voicing and give them support, especially in housing.”
The extra funds allowed for a wider reach, but Walter emphasized that this increase won’t happen every semester.
“We are very grateful we were able to provide those extra funds towards scholarships this semester, but we won’t be able to do it all the time,” she said.
To create long-term stability, the Associated Students recently voted to designate a fixed percentage of its annual budget for scholarships moving forward. Starting this year, 3.5% of the organization’s annual budget–estimated at roughly $1 million–will be reserved for student scholarships.
“There is now a set percentage of the Associated Students’ annual budget that will go straight to scholarships,” said Walter. “So the amount of money we have to give out to students is a direct percentage of what our total budget is from now on.”
The committee hopes the move will ensure scholarship availability remains tied to the organization’s financial capacity, with continued emphasis on supporting students’ most pressing needs.