Allocations Information

As stated in the Temple Student Government (TSG) Constitution, the purpose of the Allocations Program is to allocate funding for student organizational programming to promote and enhance the educational, recreational, social, and cultural life of the student body. Allocations ARE NOT guaranteed to any organization and are subject to the approval of the Allocations Committee upon receipt of a complete Purchase Request from Owl Connect. Organizations remain financially responsible for their events, programs, or activities and must not rely solely on Allocations for funding. Organizations should always have a backup plan for funding their event in case their request (or portions of it) is denied. The Allocations Committee evaluates each Purchase Request individually. Past approval for an annual event/program does not guarantee approval in the current year.

TSG Allocations are funded by the General Activities Fee (GAF). The GAF is part of every student’s annual university fee. Each year, the GAF Committee determines the amount of GAF money Allocations will receive for the upcoming school year. For the 2023-2024 fiscal year, TSG has been allocated $155,000.

The Allocations program caters to undergraduate and graduate student organizations, fraternities, and sororities that are registered with Student Activities and in good standing. Student organizations in good standing have completed all annual requirements including Annual Re-Registration and Student Org Basics. Additionally, fraternities and sororities in good standing have completed the Diamond Accreditation Chapter Standards of Recognition. Student organizations are eligible for Allocations if they have met the attendance requirement each semester (see the section on Attendance). Student organizations must have no outstanding items in their possession that belong in Allocations Storage (see the section on Allocations Storage). 

TSG does not have the financial resources to fully fund the activities of all organizations. Allocations serve as a supplement to an organization’s expenses. Allocations ARE NOT guaranteed to any organization and are subject to the approval of the Allocations Committee upon receipt of a complete Purchase Request from Owl Connect. Organizations remain financially responsible for their events, programs, or activities and must not rely solely on Allocations for funding. Organizations should always have a backup plan for funding their event in case their request (or portions of it) is denied.

The Allocations Committee evaluates each Purchase Request individually. Past approval for an annual event/program does not guarantee approval in the current year.

 

 Frequently Asked Questions about Allocations

  • What are the Finance Department’s office hours?

    • Nikita Agarwal, Chief Financial Officer

      • Wednesday, 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm

    • Panagiotis Alexios Tzanetos, Director of TSG Allocations

      • Wednesday, 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

  • How to apply for Allocations

    • Start by going to OwlConnect and sign-in (upper right hand corner)

    • Find your student organization underneath “Memberships”

    • Click on “Manage Organization” in the top right

    • On the left side of the screen, click on the menu button which will slide out revealing “Organization Tools”

    • Locate “Finance” and click through to the Finance page

    • In the upper right hand corner, click “Create new request” and then “Create Purchase Request” from the drop-down

    • At this point, fill out the form making sure to read all the prompts.

    • If you run into further problems, this slide show will help walk you through the whole process even further.

  • What’s is an honorarium?

    • Honorarium is a 3rd party vendor, performer, guest speaker, etc. that is coming to Temple/your organization to provide a service. Allocations does cover these expenses. There are 5 documents needed to be provided by the honoraria. The first is an invoice from them indicating the total cost of services, date of services, address for mailing payment, etc. The other 4 are completed W-9, Request for Payment, Independent Contractor Determination and Certification, and Professional Services Agreement forms. These 4 forms are linked in the purchase request. Send these documents to your honoraria and have them complete and send back.

  • How do you submit attendance?

    • TOWNHALLS: At least twice a month, TSG will hold Town Hall meetings. Each organization is required to attend at least 6/10 of these meetings per semester. Town Halls will be on Monday’s or Wednesday’s from 4:00PM to 5:00PM. Although attendance at Town Hall’s is part of the attendance requirement, it is separate from the TSG Newsletter. The TSG Newsletter MUST be filled out each week. If there are concerns surrounding your organization’s ability to attend the Town Hall’s please email tsgabc@temple.edu by 4PM on the day of the Town Hall, including a valid reason that your organization cannot attend. By doing so, you will be able to watch the recorded Town Hall and fill out a google form to still receive credit.

      • If your organization emails us after 4PM on the day of the Town Hall, you will not be able to receive credit for the missed Town Hall.

    • NEWSLETTER: The TSG Newsletter will be sent out to all officers listed on your organizations Owl Connect. To complete attendance, read the newsletter, scroll to the bottom to find the attendance link, and then answer the questions about the newsletter content. The newsletter will be sent out each Wednesday and attendance is due the following Tuesday at 5 pm.

  • How much funding do we have per semester/year?

    • 1 STAR orgs can request up to $500/semester. 2 STAR and above orgs can request up to $2,500/semester. Your available balance is viewable at any time in Owl Connect. This amount is renewed each semester and your Fall semester funding does not carry over into your Spring semester.

  • Can we buy T-Shirts for our org?

    • Allocations will deny all merchandise requests. However, allocations will approve team gear, costumes, or uniforms on a case by case basis. Please see the updated guidelines for the approved vendors you must use. The typical exception to this rule is dance organizations purchasing costumes. If necessary, please see the Allocations guidelines for more details.

  • Can Allocations provide funds for travel?

    • Organizations can request up to $500/semester to cover transportation expenses. Transportation methods must have a clearly communicated departure and arrival location to comply with Temple University payment procedures. Organizations requesting funds for traveling outside the city limits of Philadelphia must follow the Student Organization Travel Policy by submitting a Student Organization Travel Form to Student Activities two weeks prior to departure. If necessary, please see the Allocations guidelines for more details.

  • I am not receiving the newsletter/I missed a Town Hall due to a time conflict. What should I do?

    • Email tsgabc@temple.edu, so we can add you to the email list or provide you with attendance makeups.

  • After I submit, when will I be approved?

    • Requests are reviewed every Monday and Friday. After approval, you have 5 business days (dependent if shipping is involved) to email Miss Chris at Christine.jackson@temple.edu in order to complete the request and get everything paid for.

  • Should I pay for everything with organization's funds?

    • No, do not pay for anything in advance with your organization’s funds. There are no reimbursements. Please submit a purchase request on Owl Connect telling us what you would like to purchase. We will review the request and see if we can purchase it. If approved, Temple/Student Activities will purchase the items for you and please contact Miss Chris at Christine.jackson@temple.edu within 5 business days of your approval.