What does a campus do when they have an entire student body fighting for their political beliefs, but they’re all in opposition of one another? And what happens when student organizations begin to form around these beliefs and funding is being requested?
Students for Life received $6,854 from SGA for a trip to Washington in the fall of 2023. Upon hearing this, there were many confused and upset students and staff.
“I think because it’s very political, there is a misunderstanding that Students for Life should not get this money, but any organization can request money,” Nina Ortiz, a senior member of Students for Life, said. “Because Students for Choice was not a club at the time, they weren’t able to request money. I’ve been a part of the process for other clubs, so I know how it works behind the scenes.”
Ortiz initially joined the club to challenge her own beliefs and see what other opinions are out there. “I was raised Christian, so that comes with a certain opinion about abortion, but I never want to tell other people what to believe. I’m open to conversations and ideas different from mine,” she said. “That’s why everyone should join clubs and have conversations with people who are different from them.”
Students for Life president, senior Kacie Cowman, said in an email, “Unfortunately, I have experienced backlash for being the president of this club. Beyond the anonymous rants against our club on YikYak, I have been directly insulted while tabling, and there was an instance of people on X (formerly called Twitter) calling for our club to stop receiving support and funding from Simpson.”
As of March 28, 2024, Simpson’s campus has also seen the addition of the Students for Choice club. Freshman Ava Carnes was quick to join the club and said, “I am very passionate about reproductive health, and feel as though awareness about this topic as well as a safe space filled with like-minded peers will prove to be beneficial to our student body.”
Historically, the two sides of the debate over women’s healthcare have struggled to find common ground. Cowman doesn’t want this to be the only option for Simpson’s campus.
“I am hopeful that our two clubs will be able to do joint events in the future, especially ones that encourage honest and open conversation about our viewpoints without debating who is right or wrong,” she said. “I think it’s a great opportunity for students to be able to hear from both sides of the issue and make an educated decision on which side they agree more with.”
Carnes agreed, and doesn’t want people to view Students for Choice as a club that was created solely to disagree with Students for Life.
“We are not here to cause discourse or create rifts in our student body. We just want to make sure that everyone’s opinion on a matter as fundamental as this one is heard,” Carnes said. “It has also been agreed upon that spreading research, resources, and factual information for students that may not have had access prior to their Simpson experience is one of the most imperative pieces of our mission as a group.”
With the recent creation of Students for Choice, some are now wondering if they will have access to the same funding Students for Life received in November of 2023.
“Any registered student organization can request funds, it is an open process to everyone.” Strope began. “But you have to be recognized as a student organization, which means you have several people involved, your club is open for anyone to join, you have an executive team which includes a president and a treasurer, as well as a written constitution.”
Once you have officially established your club, you can request money for travel, speakers, or any event your club is interested in participating in. However, there is a process to follow.
“Any club who wishes to receive funds must explain in a line by line breakdown how they will be spending the money,” Strope said. “This means we need to know exactly how much you need and all the ways in which you plan on using the money: either for travel, food, hotels and things like that. We also require your club to provide all the receipts.”
Strope mentioned they prefer budget requests to be submitted at least four weeks in advance, which gives the SGA finance committee time to review requests and make any necessary alterations. Once the finance committee finishes their initial review, they bring the budget request to the entire SGA, where they discuss and vote. A majority vote is needed for any requests to go through.
“We encourage any student organization to plan educational trips, bring speakers to campus, and get involved any way they can. As of now, we don’t have a lot of clubs coming in and requesting money,” Strope said. “But there is money for you to use, and it’s very rare a request is denied completely. Sometimes there are alterations to help save money, but if you can explain where the money is going, it’s your money to use.”
Any money leftover from the year is put into projects around campus, such as the patio and furniture outside of Dunn Library. Strope, however, encourages student organizations to look into funding and find opportunities for their clubs, just as Students for Life did.
For further questions in regards to funding, you can email [email protected].
For interest in either club, you can email [email protected] (Students for Life) and [email protected] (Students for Choice).
