What is Capital Improvement?
Each year the Clemson University Undergraduate Student Senate allocates $50,000 of Student Activity Fee funds to campus-wide capital improvements. These funds are to be used for student-led capital initiatives that create tangible change on campus that improve the value of the Clemson experience.
Capital improvements should be a minimum of $10,000. Some past project allocations have included:
- Military Heritage Plaza
- Michelin Career Center Clothes Closet
- Clemson University sign on Bowman Field
- Contributions to the Scroll of Honor Memorial
- AED/Trauma Kits
The senate welcomes proposals from any member of the Clemson family, including undergraduate and graduate students, faculty and staff. Interested students must arrange a partnership with a full-time employee who will act as a project sponsor to ensure oversight and completion of the project. Capital Improvement funds are managed by Student Affairs Business Operations.
Applications for Capital Improvement initiative requests open the first week of September and close by the end of December each year.
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Project Requirements
Each project request submitted will require to have a full-time faculty or staff sponsor. The role of the sponsor is to be the designated individual responsible for ownership of the project; to include, but not limited to, University process requirements and to ensure full funding of the overall project.
Requests require the following:
- An itemized list of proposed budgetary expenditures and funding sources; and
- A meeting with the Senate Secretary to go over the rules and procedures of the Capital Improvement process.
After submission, all proposals will be fully vetted through the University process. A list of vetted proposals will be reviewed and approved by the Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students. The proposal list will be presented, discussed, and voted on by the full Undergraduate Student Senate in the form of a general bill. The body may choose to fund multiple intiatives depending on funds available.
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Facilitation
Capital Improvement should be led by the Senate Secretary, who, up to their discretion, can create an ad-hoc Committee to assist them in the process.
In the event that an ad-hoc Committee is created, the Senate Secretary will be in charge of recruiting Senators and delegating tasks to Committee members. It is up to the discretion of the Senate Secretary to determine how many Senators can be on the ad-hoc Committee and how involved they should be.
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Funding Allocation
Capital Improvement Funding will be allocated on the third Monday of February during the Senate Term.
On Capital Improvement Funding Night, the Senate Secretary will author the appropriations bill specifically for Capital Improvement, which will go through two reads in one night to ensure funding is granted.
The Capital Improvement bill shall include all of the confirmed approved projects with amounts starting at $0.00 each.
Due to the administrative process and the approval of the Vice President of Student Affairs/Dean of Students, the physical feasibility of the projects will not be debated during second read.
A ⅔ majority vote is required for the entire Capital Improvement bill, as a whole, to pass.
Project application will go live in September 2024.
