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Student Projects
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General Information
WHAT IS THE STUDENT PROJECTS COMMITTEE?
The Student Projects Committee ("The Committee") is a standing committee of The University Corporation, an auxiliary of the California State University, Northridge. The Committee is composed of the six student members of The University Corporation Board of Directors and one additional Director (usually from the faculty), who is elected by The University Corporation Board.
WHAT DOES THE STUDENT PROJECTS COMMITTEE DO?
The The Committee administers, reviews and allocates funds for student projects, following the guidelines and criteria approved by The University Corporation Executive Committee. Upon reviewing all proposals submitted, the Committee makes its recommendations for Student Project Grants to The University Corporation Executive Committee. The Committee seeks to fulfill its charge without violating either the letter or the spirit of the Guidelines.
WHAT IS A STUDENT PROJECTS GRANT?
Each Each year The University Corporation makes available a sum of money for support of student research and creative and service endeavors. All Cal State Northridge students are invited to submit proposals to compete for a share of these funds. The number and amounts of awards depend to a great degree on the funds available to the Committee. The Committee may elect to set maximum and minimum limits on the size of grants. If limits are set, those limits are announced when the application period is announced.
DEADLINE!
A pplications must be received in The University Corporation Executive Office, (3rd Floor, Sierra Center) by 5:00 p.m. on November 15 (or by 5:00 p.m. on the first working day thereafter, if November 15 falls on a weekend). NO application will be received after the published deadline.
ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE ANNUAL APPLICATION PERIOD
The announcement will be published at least twice in recognized University publications such as the Daily Sundial, @CSUN.edu, etc. The first announcement must be made at least two weeks before the deadline.
Questions should be directed to The University Corporation Executive Office, 818/677-2906 or via email to hfuco002@csun.edu. At the discretion of the Committee an open forum may be held one month prior to the November 15 deadline, to answer questions.
Guidelines and Policies for Awarding of Funds
WHAT TYPES OF PROJECTS WILL BE CONSIDERED FOR FUNDING?
1. Projects that are of interest or significance to the University.
2. Programs or projects that are innovative or of compelling temporary interest.
3. Worthy and exploratory projects that may lead to outside support or matched funding.
4. Meritorious endeavors for which obtaining outside support is difficult.
5. Programs of broad student interest and benefit.
WHAT IS NOT FUNDED:
1. Funds shall not be used for support of or opposition to candidates for public office nor issues before the voters.
2. Funds shall not be used for activities promoting religious views.
3. Funds shall not be directly awarded to a particular individual or group of individuals for their own personal benefit.
4. The Committee does not award scholarships, loans, or grants-in-aid to individual students.
5. The Committee will not fund the reproduction, typing or binding of thesis projects.
6. Project participants shall not be remunerated for services provided on the projects by themselves. Nor does the Committee approve funds to pay for tasks that the Committee believes can be done by the project participants.
7. No member of the Committee may be allocated an award while serving on the Committee.
8. Honoraria will not be paid to Ca1 State Northridge students, faculty, administrators or staff. (The Committee has interpreted honoraria to be a form of gratuity extended to a person for services rendered.)
9. Travel or personnel are funded only in exceptional cases.
YOU WILL BE DISQUALIFIED IF:
1. You do not supply all the requested information;
2. You do not follow the budget format provided with the application form (the budget form provided does not have to be used, but the format must be followed, that is, the budget must be broken down into the four categories provided);
3. Your proposal is not typewritten;
4. You are not officially enrolled as a student of California State University, Northridge during the semester of the academic year in which funds are being allocated;
5. You are currently on scholastic or disciplinary probation of any type;
6. You fail to elucidate to the satisfaction of the Committee the purposes of the project;
7. You received a previous grant and did not submit your final report when due;
8. You violate any of the guidelines or policies established by the Student Projects Committee.
In case of disagreement between the applicant and the Committee regarding interpretation of these disqualifications, the appeal procedure outlined herein will be followed.
HOW TO APPLY?
1. Application blanks are available in The University Corporation Executive Office, third floor, Sierra Center.
2. Applicants will submit the original plus eight copies of the application/proposal (for a total of nine sets). The original proposal shall be typewritten.
3. The beginning and ending dates of the project or program must be specified on the application form; the beginning date shall be no earlier than February 1 No project expenses may be incurred prior to that date.
YOUR PROPOSAL SHOULD CONSIST OF: (IN THIS ORDER ORDER)
1. The Application Form (with all information completed). The application form will be signed by each project director and each faculty advisor, and the department chair, if applicable. Additional sheets should be used as needed.
2. The Proposal. The narrative should be no more than two, typewritten pages, using no smaller than a 10-point font and should include:
a. A clear, concise statement of the project or program to be undertaken.
b. The aims and potential significance of the project or program.
c. The methodology, which will be used.
d. The location of the program or place where the work is to be performed.
e. Any plans for publishing or exhibiting the results of the project or program.
f. Full disclosure of supplemental funding available for this project or program.
g. A summary of each applicant's qualifications, past and present, on the scope and/ or area to which the project is directed.
3. The Budget.
a. The budget shall be presented on the form provided (you may duplicate the form if you need more space) or can be computer generated following the format of the budget form. That is to say, all categories shall be reproduced and the budget shall be broken down into only those categories; the subtotal for any category with no proposed items shall be indicated to be zero.
b. A full justification of each budget item shall be provided, including information on the following:
1) Why the item is necessary to the project.
2) How cost estimates for rented equipment were derived.
3) For equipment requests, reasons why similar equipment available on campus cannot be used or a statement that no such equipment is available.
4) For personnel or contracted services, an explanation of the special circumstances that prevent the student from providing these services her or himself or a statement that these services are not available on campus.
c. Remember to include tax, shipping, installation and any other incidental costs directly related to a purchase.
d. If funds are requested for travel or personnel, the student should request the supplemental sheet for information regarding the current fringe benefit rate, mileage rate, waiver of liability, source of information regarding position classification, et
e. The Student Projects Committee often provides partial funding. Please provide a brief statement (no more than five sentences) on how a partial grant would impact your project.
Each set of application materials should be stapled or clipped in the upper left-hand corner. DO NOT bind your proposal. DO NOT add a cover sheet. (The application form shall act as a cover sheet.)
THE REVIEW PROCESS
Applicants should be aware that several months will elapse between the time that they submit their applications and the time that the application is either approved or rejected. Usually, a funded project cannot begin to draw funds until February 1.
1. All proposals received by the published deadline are collated and distributed to members of the Student Projects Committee.
2. The individual Committee members read, review and evaluate each proposal.
3. The Committee meets during the month of January to determine which proposals will be recommended for funding.
4. The Committee gives significant consideration to the quality of the formal proposal, including its clarity, comprehensiveness and organization.
5. There shall be no discrimination in the awarding of funds on the basis of sex, race, creed, color, sexual orientation or national origin.
6. The recommendations of the Committee are forwarded to The University Corporation Executive Committee for their approval.
7. Every student who submitted a proposal will receive a letter on University Corporation letterhead indicating whether or not they have been awarded a grant.
COMMUNICATING WITH THE COMMITTEE
1. All communications with the Committee or its Chair shall be through The University Corporation Executive Office.
2. Questions related to the policies and procedures may be directed to The University Corporation Executive Office.
The University Corporation offices are located on the third floor of the Sierra Center. Mail Code: 8310. Phone: 818/677-2906. FAX: 818/677-3361.
APPEALS
Failure of the Committee to Comply With Established Guideline Will Be The Only Basis For Appeals.
Step One: Any student wishing to appeal decisions in regard to awarding of funds must submit an appeal in writing to the Student Projects Committee (c/o The University Corporation Executive Office). Appeals must be made no later than two weeks from the date the denial letter was mailed to the applicant at the address shown on his/her application. The only basis for these appeals is that awards were in non-conformance with the Committee's established guidelines. Letters of appeal must address this issue.
Step Two: If the Committee, upon consideration of the appeal, decides not to reverse its decision, and if students still feel they have a basis for appeal, they may request further review by The University Corporation Executive Committee. The request to The University Corporation Executive Committee must be submitted in writing to The University Corporation Executive Director, no later than one week from the date the denial of appeal letter was mailed to the applicant by the Student Projects Committee. The appellant must again state the reasons for the appeal.
1. Grants and programs initiated shall be in accordance with the policies and procedures approved by the Student Projects Committee and The University Corporation Executive Committee.
2. Funds will not be transferred from The University Corporation to any other existing University committee or agency except for specific, identified expenditures.
3. The Committee may elect to allocate part or all of the funds available to the Student Projects Endowment Fund, or to carry funds over to the following year.
4. If the Committee has not completed its review by February 1, The University Corporation Executive Committee may take over the functions of the Committee or delegate the functions to a subcommittee.
5. Copies of all proposals shall be kept on file in The University Corporation Executive Office. Approved proposals will be kept five years; denied proposals, two years.
6. Proposals not funded by the Committee shall be held confidential.
7. Grants awarded jointly to more than one student shall not be canceled or reduced in amount by the withdrawal of one of the recipients.
8. Any research projects involving animal and/ or human subjects must abide by The University policies regarding their use in research. The University Corporation Executive Director will review approved awards and make necessary referrals to the Research Coordinator for clearance of safeguard procedures in accordance with established University policies. Release of funds will be contingent upon approval by the appropriate University committee(s).
9. Where material or equipment is purchased for the purpose of assembling a useful object, the Committee shall determine where ownership shall vest and will so inform the applicant in writing with the notice of award.
10. All equipment (excluding consumable supplies) purchased with funds allocated by the Committee becomes the property of The University Corporation.
MANAGING YOUR FUNDED PROJECT
1. All student projects shall be administered by The University Corporation in accordance with its usual accounting procedures.
2. No funds will be paid retroactively from the date of written notification of award.
3. Funds must be spent in accordance with the approved budget. Expenditures that exceed the amount of the award will not be honored by The University Corporation.
4. After the project has begun, if budget changes become necessary, the Project Director shall submit, in writing, an accounting of the necessary changes together with a brief description of the necessity for the changes to the Chair of the Student Projects Committee, who will then decide whether or not to allow the change.
5. Written notice of addition, withdrawal, or change of project director(s) or faculty advisor(s) during the course of the project must be submitted to the Chair of the Committee, who may approve such changes of personnel.
6. Final Reports: All project directors must submit final typewritten reports on their accomplishments as a result of these awards. The reports will be available for review in the Executive Office of The University Corporation. They are due no later than one calendar month after the ending date of the project.
7. Progress Reports: Typewritten progress reports detailing work to date, funds expended and estimated completion date are to be filed with The University Corporation at four-month intervals after the date of written notification of award. Failure to provide timely progress reports may result in suspension of all funds.
8. The Chair of the Committee may grant time extensions for expenditures of allocated funds for a specified length of time beyond the end of the designated period of the award. Requests for these extensions must be submitted in writing to the Chair of the Committee.
9. All allocated funds not expended by the end of the designated project period shall revert to the Committee for reallocation, unless the project Director has requested an extension of the award and the Chair of the Committee has granted it.
PRODUCTS AND PROFITS
1. Publications, exhibits or films, which result from any of these awards should acknowledge the support of the Student Projects Committee of The University Corporation. The University Corporation reserves the right to review project results before release to the public and may request deletion of acknowledgment of support. The project director is required to notify The University Corporation Executive Office before public release, allowing reasonable time for review.
2. Profits derived from the commercial exploitation of a by-product or the end product of a student project will be shared with The University Corporation. These shared profits will be added to the Committee's funds for allocation to additional student projects. Normally, if all funding for the projects comes from the Committee allocation, the profits will be divided 50/50 between the project director and The University Corporation. However, if additional funding is obtained from the project or other sources, The University Corporation's share may be lowered proportionally. Agreement on this matter must be reached before the funds are released. Release of funds is contingent upon the project director(s) having agreed to the arrangement.
3. In case a patentable process or product is developed as a result of the award from the Committee, The University Corporation has a period of ninety (90) days to consider whether it wishes to participate in the development of the process or product either independently or through an arrangement with a commercial development organization. If The University Corporation decides against assuming this role, it will return the invention to the students on or before the end of the 90 days and relinquish any equity it might have had in the patent.
HOW IS THE STUDENT PROJECTS COMMITTEE FUNDED?
The Student Projects endowment fund is used to fund student projects. The amount available to the Student Projects Committee to fund projects they deem worthy shall be a percentage of the Student Projects Endowment Fund as determined by The University Corporation’s current spending policy.
The Student Projects Committee may elect not to spend the entire amount available in any given year, and the amount not spent will revert to the Student Projects Endowment Fund.
Approved by The University Corporation Executive Committee on August 31, 2007.
