The SA Advancement Fund discussion makes it to the Board of Directors meeting once again.

Seed funding of $94,000 from the Student Association (SA) for the SA Advancement Fund was approved and provided to the Office of Student Advancement last month.

Since then, some board members have noted that the funds are not being used in the areas that were first proposed.

At this month’s board of directors meeting, Angeline Nijmeh, director of education and equity, brought up a question regarding the usage of SA funding for events other than those presented during the proposal.

“So, I’m just wondering like we have 94k and a really unclear and troubling breakdown of where these funds are being allocated. I’m not really clear on if the money’s going here for sure. Or if we can change that I’m still unclear about that,” she asked at the meeting.

Nijmeh shared at the meeting that $50,000 from the funding is going towards two book launches, which are not part of the direct student opportunities proposed during the initial ask.

Luke Bowden, community services and early childhood educational centre representative, echoed these concerns and said that he does not understand how such events directly benefit students or create opportunities for them.

However, Sri Krishna Rajan, director of communications and internal says that the SA cannot specify which events or activities the fund can be used in. The Office of Advancement is responsible for allocating the funds where they see fit, in any of the areas agreed mutually by the two agencies.

Rajan assured members of the meeting that once the reports are shared at the end of this funding period, it would guide the board to decide whether to continue or restrict the funding.

However, the concern that the amount already donated is planned to be used on celebrations and events when they could be used for bursaries or mentorship opportunities for students remains.

“I just want to add that the foundation presented something different to us, so we got a different presentation versus what they’re actually using the money for,” Nijmeh added.

Rajan justified that the funds being used in bigger events which can help promote the SA, although these events may not be directly related to student opportunities.

“There is not only one way of supporting students, like scholarship or bursary, there are many ways. And as of now, no one is aware of what Student Association does, so there should be a platform created, various collaborations should be done with the many departments of George Brown College,” he said.

As of the time of writing, the Office of Advancement could not be reached for comment.

The total amount for the SA advancement fund is $250,000 over two years. The board passed the funding for collaborative initiatives to assist students and alumni, with no clear specification of activities or areas for the funds to be used.