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. 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 6 weeks in advance. 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 may not be accepted after an event has taken place.

Getting Reimbursed:

In order to get reimbursed, an organization must first submit a request at least 6 weeks prior to the event in the finance section of the SCOMSA website. All original receipts must be provided to Liz Gallagher in the Office of Student Affairs located at in the A building, second floor, Room 212C. The organization will only receive 50% of the amount totaled by the receipts, even if they were approved for more money by SCOMSA. The receipts must be submitted within a week after the event and all forms must be completed thoroughly to prevent delays in reimbursements.

Cleaning the Lounge

Semester Funding:

Each organization is allowed $100/semester towards any group related expense. In order to receive this amount, the organization must have receipts to prove that they have spent the $100 on something group related. The receipt must not have been reimbursed from any other source.

In addition, all groups must clean the medical student lounge in order to get the $100/semester. The organization must sign up to clean the room and 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.

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.