Topics Map > Funding > Student Services Finance Committee (SSFC)
General Student Services Fund Expenditure Categories
Last updated 12/11/2020
When creating the Excel portion of your GSSF budget proposal, consult the following expense category definitions. Be aware that the SSFC will not approve lines for "miscellaneous" expenses.
| Advertising | These include newspaper, publication, web, or social media advertisements. This also includes logo promotional items. |
| Capital | These would be any equipment purchases of $5,000 or more per piece. |
| Computer Soft/Hardware | These include equipment purchases under $5,000 per unit, software/computer enhancements under $5,000 or printer cartridges. |
| Equipment (Non-Rental) | These are electronic equipment purchases under $5,000 per unit not included in the computer soft/hardware line. |
| Equipment Rental | This covers fees for use of equipment for one-time programming events. |
| Fringe Benefits | Employer's share of benefits paid for employed staff such as FICA, unemployment compensation, health insurance, life insurance, Medicare, etc. These are calculated with the ASM Assistant Director of Financial Services during the budget review meetings. |
| Membership Fees | These may include fees paid by organizations to join a national or regional membership organization. These are not to be confused with a GSSF organization that charges membership fees (this is not allowed in the GSSF). |
| Miscellaneous | These would be expenses not paid in other budget categories. It's important to note that miscellaneous line-items that are in a proposal during the group's budget hearing will either be moved to specific line items or cut entirely. |
| Postage | These include bulk mailing costs, postage charges assessed by on-campus mailroom/department, or mailbox fees. |
| Printing/Photocopying | This would be the cost of reproducing newsletters, brochures, and other major publications, and the reproduction costs associated with printing fliers or one-time printing. |
| Program Supplies | These include a multitude of expenses and hold their own sheet within the budget excel. They include professional fees/honorarium, interpreter costs, food costs associated with a campus wide educational program, and other costs associated with one-time events or series of events sponsored by the organization. |
| Rent (office/space) | This would be any costs associated with renting office space. |
| Salaries | These are wages that will be paid to permanent student or professional staff employed by the organization. |
| Sales Credits | This would be any income received from an internal or external agency from the sale of supplies or services and deposited to the segregated fee account. |
| Supplies/Furniture | This includes pens, pencils, subscriptions, books, magazines, postage stamps ordered from MDS stores, or office furniture less than $5,000 per piece. This also includes other supplies like maintenance equipment. Groups should be prepared to justify what this category will be spent on. |
| Telephone | This includes any charges for long distance, local calls, cell phone services, etc. |
| Travel | This includes airline tickets, lodging, registration fees for conferences. This is not used for speaker travel (that would fall under honoraria/speaker fees in program supplies). It's important to note that student organizations are no longer allowed to use university-owned fleet vehicles. |
Any tangible items purchased by GSSF organizations is property of ASM. If an organization dissolves or leaves the GSSF, they must return any purchases made by ASM while they were a GSSF to include supplies, logo'd items, furniture, etc.