Five San José State student organizations gathered in the Student Union Meeting Room 1A on Wednesday afternoon to give presentations and discuss funding for their organizations’ needs to the Associated Students (A.S.) Board of Directors Finance Committee.
The five organizations included Phi Theta Epsilon, the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, the SJSU National Association for Music Education (NAfME), the Pokémon Club at SJSU and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers SJSU.
Each student organization was represented by one to two board members and was given 10 minutes to outline and present to the board about how requested funds would support professional development and student engagement.
Student organizations must have at least one member to complete the required funding training before they can submit any requests, which is typically recommended for the organization’’s president or treasurer, according to the San José University webpage.
The presentations focused on financial needs for their upcoming events, group trips and the impact of their programs on the student community.
The meeting included a report from the A.S. Finance Committee that explained how the decisions in funding are made and how student fees are allocated.
Rishika Joshi, the A.S. Controller, explained how money is distributed for clubs.
“In (the) finance committee, requests that are over $1,000 are when a club presents in finance,” Joshi said. “But if clubs are requesting less than $1,000, and they’re requesting for the first time, that is where I can just review their request and approve as long as they adhere to the budget policies.”
The Associated Students budget policy outlines how student fees are collected and used to support campus organizations, services and programs, according to a 2025-2026 Associated Student Budget Policy document.
The policy requires approval from the Board of Directors and sets rules to make sure that the funds are spent properly while in line with the university guidelines, according to the same source.
Among the organizations presenting in the meeting, the SJSU National Association for Music Education (NAfME) requested funding to attend a national conference in Washington, D.C.
Kailey Daugherty, secretary of NAfME, was one of the representatives who spoke for the organization in hopes that the financial committee would support the costs needed.
“We asked for a grant of $600 in order to cover the cost of four of our members, $150 each, in order to provide us more accessibility to the conference with the hope that we can gain more materials and resources to help better the SJSU Music Education Students,” Daugherty said.
The NAfME is an organization that supports music teachers and promotes access to music education, according to its webpage.
Representatives from the Phi Theta Epsilon (PTE), which is also known as the occupational therapy honors society presented the organization’s academic focus and its goal to prepare its members for licensure.
“The national board exam is a four hour and 180 question exam and our program is created to prepare our students for this licensure exam,” the PTE representative said.
The Phi Theta Epsilon Gamma Mu Chapter at SJSU is the national honor society for occupational therapy students and graduates, which recognizes students in the field, encouraging research and academic scholarship, according to the SJSU webpage.
Joshi also highlighted the upcoming Spartan Showcase event held at the end of the spring semester.
The showcase is an event held where funded organizations feature their work and significance on campus.
“So far we’ve funded 138 from registered student organizations and we have over 400 RSOs on campus that are eligible to request funds,” Joshi said. “The organization gives them an opportunity to show how Associated Students has supported their clubs and what they’ve accomplished.”
The Spartan Showcase is an event held by the A.S. Finance Committee where funded student organizations can feature their booths, performances and presentations, according to the SJSU government Instagram flyer.
The committee also ensures the distribution of the resources equally across all departments with balancing competing funding requests while also maintaining accountability, according to Joshi.
The meeting ended with funding for all five student organizations, all of which are about to join the Spartan Showcase.
Joshi emphasized the work of the financial committee when it manages student funds, supporting student programs and organizations.
“I think the Finance Committee has done a really good job because each A.S. committee has different roles and responsibilities,” Joshi said. “The finance has a lot to focus on including developing budgets for about 10 A.S. departments and ensuring transparency in how students fees are being used.
