Student Green Fund

Charter of the University of Toledo's Student Green Fund

 I. Mission Statement
The mission of the Student Green Fund is to make The University of Toledo a more sustainable institution and to enhance its mission of improving the human condition by supporting green ideas and initiatives proposed, decided upon, implemented by, and ultimately funded directly by students. The Student Green Fund will bring to campus an increased level of competence in the areas of renewable energy and environmental sustainability, an increased level of student engagement in these areas, and a heightened student sense of ownership of the University’s responsibility as an Ohio Center of Excellence in Advanced Renewable Energy and the Environment.

II. Short Description of the UT Student Green Fund
The Student Green Fund (SGF) is a fund whose resources will be used to support student projects that serve to support the SGF’s mission to make UT a greener and more sustainable campus, and that are aligned with UT’s mission to improve the human condition. The fund will be supported by a $5 voluntary, opt-out fee to be placed on each students account each semester. Students or student organizations will submit project proposals to the Student Green Fund Committee (SGFC), a governing body which will be composed of UT students, staff, and faculty. The SGFC will decide which proposals to support and release funds to those students/organizations. The students or student organizations will implement their proposed projects, and will submit regular follow-up reports to the SGFC regarding each projects adherence to proposed completion timelines and budgets.

III. The Accounts
A. Student Account

A $5 fee will be added to the account of each registered UT student that has enrolled in a minimum of 1 credit hour, each semester, in a manner analogous to the current Student Legal Services Fee. All students will have the chance to opt-out of this fee, if they choose not to support the SGF. This fee will be strictly voluntary.

B. Foundation Account
Donations to the SGF from non-students (e.g. alumni, faculty, and friends of the university) are acceptable and may be solicited; however, it will be SGFC, who manages the fund, to decide what projects will be funded. Donations are encouraged, but projects favored by donors will not receive priority. The account name and number are the “UT Student Green Fund” and #2402087, respectively. It is a College Non-endowed account.

IV. Projects
A. Potential Projects

The range of projects that can be proposed and that fit into the mission of the SGF are only constrained by the imagination of the student body and the available financial resources of the fund. While the number of potential projects is limitless, several have been used as prime examples that would work well for UT.

Another potential project would be to hold a sustainability lecture series or workshop program for student leaders on campus. This would generate excitement for the fund and create ideas for potential projects that student organizations could propose.

The Student Green Fund could also fund on-campus renewable energy projects and public demonstration kiosks to showcase the research being done at UT to the public while generating quantifiable data and useful, renewable energy.

One final potential project would be to purchase a vacant property adjacent or nearby campus and transform it into a community urban garden. This would allow many different student organizations to do community outreach and foster good relations between UT and the surrounding community.

B. Goals for Green Fund Projects
Projects approved and implemented by SGF will have a direct impact on sustainability at UT. In addition to this, there are several other impacts that these projects will have on the campus and culture at UT.  Students or student organizations that propose a project must have a plan for publicity, outreach, and education. One method of publicity for projects will be through a mandatory blog post summarizing the project. The SGF blog appears on MyUT which is visible to all UT students, faculty, and staff. This will promote the individual project, promote the mission of the SGF, and in term increase student involvement in regards to sustainability on campus.

C. Submission of Grant Proposals
Application forms to submit project proposals will be made available to the student body via the SGF website. All applications will require an adequate amount of background research, a proposed timeline, and a detailed budget. Applications for a grant from the SGF will be open to all students and university-recognized student organizations, including the SGFC and its members. Faculty and staff members will not be directly eligible to apply for SGF grants, but are encouraged to share their ideas with the SGFC, or to act as an advisor to the authorship of such a proposal by current students or student organizations. This separation is necessary to maintain the student-oriented mission of the SGF. Faculty and staff members are also encouraged to initiate class projects that can utilize SGF resources.

V. Student Green Fund Committee
A. Committee Structure
The Student Green Fund Committee will have the responsibility of approving projects and distributing funds. The group will be composed of faculty, staff, and students from across the University. The structure of the group will be the following:

  • At least four undergraduate students:  At least one student from the UT Student Government Senate. And at least three students at large approved by the staff and faculty member of the SGFC. Application for these positions will be open to all undergraduate students. The number of undergraduate students will be determined the spring before based on participation. There will ideally be 5-7 undergraduate students in the SGFC. Term limits will be established based on student interest and application rates. 
  • At least one graduate student: Selected at large approved by the staff and faculty member of the SGFC. Application for this position will be open to all graduate students. Like the number of undergraduate students, the number of graduate students will be determined based on participation. Term limits will be established based on student interest and application rates. 
  • At lesat one staff member: Selected and appointed by SGFC. 
  • At least one faculty member: Selected and appointed by SGFC.

B. Voting and New Projects

 

  • Review student proposals and select those to be funded on the basis of the project’s feasibility, its potential to make UT more sustainable or positively enhance the University’s mission of sustainability, its proposed timeline, and its ability to be funded.
  • Return rejected proposals to the author(s), along with constructive comments and requirements if the project is deemed to have potential with further preparation and editing. Reasons for outright denial will be included to all proposals deemed inappropriate or not feasible, without further comment.
  • Only students on the SGFC will be voting members.
  • Accepted projects will have support from a majority of voting members.
  • There must be at least 4 responses either in person or digitally to constitute a vote.
  • Current committee members are not allowed to vote on proposals they submit or on which they share a conflict of interest.
  • In the case of voting ties for projects, the student manager, staff member(s), and faculty member(s) will discuss the vote and make the ultimate decision.
  • Follow up on accepted proposals to ensure that funds are being used appropriately, and that approved projects are being completed according to their proposed timelines.

 

C. In-Progress Projects and SGF Projects

  • If there are few acceptable proposals that promote the mission of the SGF submitted in a semester, the SGFC will decide how or if funds should be allocated to promote the mission of the SGF. The SGFC can propose and implement new projects when none or few are currently being implemented and funds remain.
  • SGFC may decide to complete in-progress projects when a project leader graduates or fails to complete it themselves.

D. Marketing and Advertising

  • Market, promote, and advertise the SGF, all projects that the fund has supported/implemented, and general environmental sustainability at UT.
  • A small amount of funding may be used in each academic year to further awareness of the SGF and encourage proposals.

E. Student Working Groups

When the SGFC is not reviewing project proposals, it will actively function through four working groups: Social Media, Website Management, Administrative Management, and Outreach. Each working group will have a designated Group Director. The SGFC will have an overall Student Manager that will oversee progress in the working groups as well as orchestrate SGF meetings.

  • Social Media will focus on using media channels, Facebook and Twitter, to educate the public and advertise SGF meeting times.
  • Website Management will develop and maintain the SGF website that operates under the SEED Initiative. 
  • Administrative Management will document meeting minutes and facilitate communication between SGF members.
  • Outreach will focus on getting students involved in SGF, improve the image of SGF within the student body, and increasing donations.

F. Affiliates
Students that are not members of SGFC have the ability to participate in SGF by being an affiliate. Student affiliates are able to participate in all SGF activities and grant proposal presentations. They will not have voting privileges for project proposals but their feedback is valuable to SGFC. Affiliates will also have the ability to apply for be a SGFC member in the next academic semester.

G. Annual Report
To ensure that the SGF continues to achieve its purpose, an annual report will be completed. The review will include a measurement of student support by looking at the percentage of students paying the fee; a review of all submitted, rejected, approved, and completed projects; campus involvement as shown by the number and diversity of proposals submitted; and if the fund’s resources have been used effectively. This review will be completed by the SGFC.

H. Student Green Fund Website
The SGFC Website Management group will maintain a website for the SGF. This website will provide a description of the SGF, applications for SGFC positions, applications for SGF grant funding, and information on completed and ongoing projects funded by the SGF. The website will provide a place for students and the general public to go and get updated information on what applicants have accomplished, and progress updates on projects being implemented. The website will also contain links to follow via social media sites as well as links to donate, either as a student or faculty/alumni.

Revised & Approved November 18, 2015

Last Updated: 6/27/22