Boston University Medical Campus
SCOMSA

Student Leaders

The following document contains much of the relevant information for leaders of student organizations. It is critical that student leaders become intimately familiar with the contents of this document before the beginning of the semester. Leaders from each organization are responsible for ensuring that all officers of their organization are familiar with these policies.

Planning an Event

Student organizations that wish to plan an event must do so more than 6 weeks ahead of time if possible. It is strongly recommended not to plan events sooner than this, as there are multiple steps that require approval from a third party. If these steps are not completed before the date of your event, you may not be allowed to have the event.

The following is the basic outline for planning an event at BUSM:

1. Come up with an idea for an event
2. Gather support for your event from classmates and/or faculty
3. Book a room if necessary
4. Check calendar to avoid more than one organizational event that day
5. Submit a funding request to SCOMSA if necessary
6. Ensure you have secured all necessary funding for food, Educational Media Center (EMC), etc.
7. Advertise the event
8. Have the event
9. Submit for reimbursement for previously approved SCOMSA funds within a week after the event.

Scheduling a Room:

To schedule a room, please use the Student Organization space request form AT LEAST one week before the event. Liz Gallagher in the Office of Student Affairs will approve your request if appropriate. When specifying A/V needs, please see the EMC section of this document to become familiar with what services and items are permitted by SCOMSA and which are not.

Educational Media Center Costs:

When planning an event, take into consideration the costs associated with using EMC services. These costs can add up quickly, and are often not necessary for the types of events that student groups have. Group requests for EMC services will be considered critically, and we will request modification of your request if it is considered excessive. There will be a total $500 cap on EMC services for each group in a given academic year. All expenses beyond this cap will have to be funded by non-SCOMSA sources.

While EMC offers many services and items for rent, not all will be allowed at student organization events that are being funded by SCOMSA. These are services which are considered unnecessary, or that could easily be provided by one of the student organization leaders. For example, renting a laptop has a significant cost associated with it, so student leaders must bring their own laptops. If you want to have one of these items, please explain why there should be an exception in your funding request. Each request will be considered equally.

The following list of costs should apply for the 2009/2010 year. These costs may change and will be confirmed by EMC. Costs differ based on whether the items are delivered to the event or if the items are picked up at the EMC offices. Items in red are generally NOT ALLOWED and will not be funded unless specifically approved. Labor rates are not included and will be added by EMC should there be any. Student organizations do not pay to use rooms on the Medical Campus. If an organization has questions regarding EMC or Facilities Management costs, they should direct the questions to Liz Gallagher in the Office of Student Affairs who will work with EMC and Facilities. Students should not go to EMC for any reason other than to drop off a poster they may have announcing an event.

Submitting a Funding Request:

Please visit the following websites to submit a funding request to the SCOMSA treasurer:

• Individual Funding: http://www.bumc.bu.edu/scomsa/finance/individualfunding/
• Organizational Funding: http://www.bumc.bu.edu/scomsa/finance/organizationalfunding/
• National Funding: http://www.bumc.bu.edu/scomsa/finance/nationalfunding/

In order to ensure that your funding request is handled in a timely manner before your event takes place, please submit your request AT LEAST 3 days prior to the SCOMSA meeting before your event. The SCOMSA meeting schedule can be found in the “about” tab. If you do not submit early enough, SCOMSA will not have adequate time to notify you in the case that your request is denied. Initial requests WILL NOT be accepted after an event has taken place.

Getting Reimbursed:

In order to get reimbursed, an organization’s funding request must first be approved by SCOMSA. Within 30 days of the event, the organization must submit a completed reimbursement form, along with all original itemized receipts, a SCOMSA approval email and a flyer or announcement for the group event. Please ensure that the name on the credit card receipts match the name on the reimbursement form. The organization will only receive 50% of the amount totaled by the receipts, even if they were approved for more money by SCOMSA. Please indicate how the other 50% of the amount will be paid, whether out-of-pocket, your organization’s remaining lounge cleaning funds, or other sources of funding.

You must fill out the Event/Conference Details section. The form must be completed thoroughly and have all necessary items attached to prevent delays in reimbursements.

The complete packet must be provided to Liz Gallagher in the Office of Student Affairs located at in the A building, second floor, Room 212C. The SCOMSA treasurer will review the reimbursement form and then submit it to accounting. The check will be processed and be ready within 2-3 weeks, allowing additional time for mailing.

Cleaning the Lounge

Semester Funding:

Each organization is allowed $100/semester towards any group related expense in exchange for cleaning the Student Lounge. The organization must sign up to clean the room. SCOMSA will send out an email in the beginning of the semester with when the sign up sheet will be posted. Each organization is allowed to sign up for ONLY one cleaning slot. Each organization will send an email to scomsa@bu.edu within 2 hours of having cleaned the room in order for a SCOMSA rep to verify that the cleaning was completed. There is a list of cleaning tasks on the wall of the student lounge. If the SCOMSA rep does not approve the end result of the cleaning, the group may be asked to repeat the cleaning in order to receive their semester funding.

If the entire $100 is not used within the same semester, any remaining cleaning funds will NOT carry over to the next semester or the following school year.

In order to receive this amount, the organization must submit a reimbursement form with original receipts to prove that they have spent the $100 on something group related. The receipt must not have been reimbursed from any other source.

Items to Clean:

Make sure to clean the following items:

1. Trash: Dispose of all trash in entire room.
2. Refrigerator: Dispose of all food without a dated note indicating to not dispose of it. (Note must include a name, and be dated after today’s date.)
3. Tables: Spray and wipe down with cleaning solution.
4. Sink and counter: Spray and wipe down with cleaning solution.
5. Microwave: Spray and wipe, interior and exterior (do not use cleaning solutions).
6. Toaster: Empty crumb tray under toaster. Spray and wipe down exterior. (unplug after each use).
7. Keurig: Empty and refill water. (The coffee machine should be unplugged for the weekend).
8. Coffee supplies: Refill cups, creamer, sugar, splenda, and stirring straws.