Money running out for Eagle’s Nest fun, clubs urged to apply now
Adalberto Toledo | Staff Writer
Student organizations that have yet to apply for Eagle’s Nest funding could be running out of time, as the almost $60,000 is quickly being consumed.
The fund, which was established for organizations to receive extra money, has already given five or six groups monetary support. Each applicant is approved by the Student Government Association, SGA director of student affairs Dawaelyne Jones said.
“We’re already almost halfway done with the funds for this semester,” Jones said. “My goal is for the fund to be exhausted, because it is student money and it needs to be used by the students.”
Eagle’s Nest funding is exclusive to campus events.
“Eagle’s Nest is not going to fund you for day-to-day materials, or operating costs,” said Dan Goodwin, coordinator for student organizations. “You wouldn’t be able to get, say, $500 for t-shirts.”
Goodwin advises all clubs struggling to gain members to speak with the Office of Stu-dent Activities. The office will provide advice and ideas as well as work shops. Student organizations must already attend an orientation workshop after their re-registration every year, but other workshops are offered.
Student organizations should not only solely rely on the Eagle’s Nest funding, but some find it difficult to exist without its assistance. Joe Brodeur, president of UNT Model United Nations, said previous presidents have tried to get additional funding but failed.
“I’ve never even tried Eagle’s Nest because we haven’t had much luck,” Brodeur said.
Brodeur added that much of their funding comes from reimbursements from the political science department as well as donations from alumni groups.
Goodwin says there are ways an organization can get aid without help from Eagle’s Nest.
“We have some really great fundraising advice and recorded workshops,” Goodwin said. “We also offer the Student Organization Leader Development workshop series.”
The workshops focus mainly on the aspects of how best to market a student organization.
According to the student affairs’ website, student organizations will leave the workshop “with some great action items and ideas to increase your visibility on campus and see those membership numbers soar.”
Goodwin added that an organization’s worst mistake is to charge students excessive entry fees.
“The whole point of a student organization, quite frankly, is that anyone should be able to participate,” Goodwin said. “They should not become bur-densome financially on the student.”
Most organizations do not require a lot of funding, but there are certain specific organizations that do require some money for entry dues.
“A book club is just getting together after reading a book, so maybe the expense of the book is the expense of being in the organization,” Goodwin said. “There are a lot of or-ganizations that do not ask for funding because they don’t feel they need it.”
Goodwin added that the previous two freshman classes have been increasingly in-volved.
“The fact of the matter is that incoming freshman classes are as involved as we’ve ever seen,” Goodwin said. “What we see are students that come out of the gates blazing, wanting to be involved in everything.”
Those students wishing to get involved in student organizations can speak with the Office of Student Activities, and clubs wishing to apply for Eagle’s Nest funding can visit the SGA office. Both are located in Stovall Hall.
Featured Image: Photojournalism junior Tom Gonzalez leads a Hatch Visuals meeting Wednesday night. Hatch Visuals is just one example of student organizations eligible for the fund. Hannah Ridings | Senior Staff Photographer
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