Student chapters of professional organizations should not compete with "for fun" clubs for funds
BSO needs to be revamped in general, but specifically with respect to how they allocate funds. Student chapters of professional organizations typically already have requirements from a national chapter, while the bowling club, for example, has no restrictions. Clubs that provide an outlet for students to pursue a hobby and/or have fun are wonderful and should be supported, but they have different needs than a professional society. Most professional societies are involved in educating students and advancing the profession, typically through invited speakers and technical talks. Often the speaker comes to campus for free so the only expense is generally food to attendees. However, BSO restricts spending on food to 25%, essentially suggesting that only 1/4 of presentations should be allowed to involve food. I could understand this if it was just free lunch, but these are respected professionals and their contributions are easily documented. The "service event" requirement is also an unnecessary hurdle for an organization who's sole intent is to inform and educate. Does President Johnson require faculty to perform service events? Bringing experts in their field to campus for talks IS community service. Clubs are literally helping CSM educate students! There needs to be at least two categories, with different requirements.