STUDENT ORGANIZATION NEWS

HOLIDAY CLOSINGS FOR CSI
CSI will be closed the Friday after thanksgiving (November 23rd). The University is closed December 24 & 25 and December 31 & January 1. CSI will also be closed December 26-28th, so the office will be closed from December 24th through January 1st. If your organization needs early January travel arrangements to be made, please bring all the paper work into CSI by December 17th to ensure it can be processed prior to the Holidays. If your organization is holding an event in January in which you are paying a speaker, performer, or any person for any reason, you need to make sure your contracts are turned in 30 DAYS IN ADVANCE. CSI being closed is not an excuse, if the 30-day deadline falls during the holiday closure, then the contracts are due December 17th. You don’t have to wait until thirty days before the event, the earlier you turn in your forms the easier the payment processing goes.

CONGRATULATIONS
The Mediation Teams at UWM competed on October 26 and 27 at the Eighth National Intercollegiate Mediation Tournament, sponsored by the American Mock Trial Association, and hosted by the John Marshall Law School in Chicago. The field was 30 teams representing 19 institutions from 11 States. UWM Team 468 led the Mediator Division going into the National Championship Final Mediation setting a record of 170.73 international mediation points after the three preliminary rounds. The team also achieved a top-ten finish in the Advocacy Division. All three members of Team 468 earned AMTA All-America distinctions for their team's appearance in the Championship Final Mediation. In its seventh season, Mediation Team at UWM has appeared in the National Championship Mediation in 2002, 2006 and 2007.

FUNDING APPROVAL TIMELINE
When your group is approved for a SAC emergency grant (under $700), your organization's funding will not be available to you until the President of the Student Association signs the SAC allocation bill. The Center for Student Involvement will be notified of the approval and groups can make arrangements with CSI after that date to spend the money. If the President vetoes the allocation, your group will have to attend a Senate meeting to ask the Senate to override the veto, which will take a 2/3rds majority.

When your group is approved for a SAC large grant (November or April), your organization's funding will not be available until the Student Association Senate approves the allocation and the SA President signs the SAC allocation bill. The Senate may deny or change the allocation. The SA President may approve or veto the Senate actions on the allocation. If approved by both Senate and the President, November Large grants will be available January 1st through June 30th and April Large Grants will be available July 1st through December 31st. Travel and event large grants expenditures MUST occur within the designated timeframe or the money will be returned to the Student Association. Operations expenditures must occur in the same fiscal year as when the funds were approved (July 1st to June 30th. In order to use your funds by June 30th, the paperwork must be turned into the Center for Student Involvement by June 1st, however, some routine expenditures such as Office Depot orders can be done as late as June 15th.

EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES

C.O.A.S.T. LEADERS NEEDED
The Neighborhood Housing Office is hiring students to be C.O.A.S.T. (Community Outreach and Assistance for Student Tenants) Leaders. Applications are due December 3rd. A C.O.A.S.T. Leader receives a $1300 stipend per semester for 5-10 hours per week of service. C.O.A.S.T. Leaders are supported by the Neighborhood Housing Office, University Housing, and the Student Association. See the Neighborhood Housing website for more information.

THE CVSL SNOWPATROL NEEDS YOU!
Want to be active, meet other UWM students, and drink free hot chocolate; all while providing a desperately needed service to neighborhood elderly residents? Join the UWM SNOW-PATROL! The Center for Volunteerism and Student Leadership is looking for a group of students who are willing to show up after a big snowfall and help shovel the sidewalks and walkways of older adults around campus. Unshoveled walkways and sidewalks make it difficult for them to do simply tasks such as retrieve the mail or walk to the grocery store. To become a member of the SNOWPATROL, simply send an email with the words SNOW PATROL in the subject line to Laurie Marks, lmarks@uwm.edu.

THE NEXT CAMPUSWIDE BLOOD DRIVE IS TUESDAY NOV 20TH
Our first campus wide blood drive was a success and we are hoping that you will join us for the second one if you missed the first, as we are trying to collect 1,000 pints of blood on campus this year. Each pint of blood donated can save 3 lives. If you can not donate, we could use your help as a volunteer at the drive! To donate or volunteer please email the info: name, cellphone, time you can help out (between 10:15am-3:00pm), donate or volunteer to Laurie Marks, lmarks@uwm.edu.

VOLUNTEER AT THE HOPE HOUSE FOOD PANTRY ANY THURSDAY
As Thanksgiving approaches, think about donating a few hours to our local Hope House Food Pantry. The Center for Volunteerism and Student Leadership coordinates UWM students, faculty and staff volunteer at the food pantry each Thursday from 11:30am - 2:30pm. Transportation is provided, and you can sign up for as many or as few Thursdays as you would like! To volunteer please email the info: name, cellphone, and date of the Thursday you want to volunteer to Laurie Marks, lmarks@uwm.edu.

CVSL HAS A LISTING OF HOLIDAY VOLUNTEER EVENTS!
Want to help out sometime over the holidays? The Center for Volunteerism and Student Leadership office has a posting of events / needs throughout the city that are going on between now and New Years. Stop by and check it out! (Union WG28).