Michael Simmons Student Team Activity Endowment

Description

Purpose The Michael Simmons Activity Endowment was established to fund opportunities for students to work together as teams outside of class. Mr. Simmons was a student leader on campus in the early 1960s and one of the founders of ISU’s Tricycle Derby.

Funding Guidelines

Funds are available to support University-sponsored extracurricular activities that provide opportunities for students to work in teams either in a competitive or non-competitive setting. Priority is given to activities organized by students and/or student organizations. Examples of allowable projects include the following:

• An annual team competition (i.e. club sports, pitch competitions, design competitions) between other universities and colleges.
• Strengthened or enhanced existing University events (e.g. providing stipends of a set amount that defray costs for teams to build floats for the annual Homecoming parade).
• An initiative that is a one-time event or one-time participation in a statewide or national activity (e.g. entry fee for student-led team participation in the RAIN ride, concrete canoe competition, etc.).
• A tournament or contest (athletic or non-athletic) between teams representing their fraternity or sorority, residence hall or student organizations.
• Development of a new club sport or intramural program.
• Design and development of a prototype by a student team.
• Creative work by a team that leads to a performance or exhibition.
• Design, implementation and completion of a service-project by a student team. (For a project to receive consideration, it must be designed, planned and implemented by the student team and there must be a tangible outcome. On-going volunteer or service experiences will not receive consideration).

Allowable expenses include:

• Direct programs costs including marketing and promotion, materials and supplies, refreshments, facility rental, and other related expenses.
• Direct support for student participation (e.g. small cash awards or trophies for Trike Race participants creatively structured such as fastest time trial, a hard luck award, last place award, etc.)
• Facility improvements and equipment that directly improve an existing program (e.g. installation of additional bleachers at the Michael Simmons Activity Center, sports equipment to increase participation in an intramural program).
• Entry fees or costs associated with allowing a team of students to participate in an initiative

Activities that are not supported by the endowment include:

• Conferences, workshops, or training programs for student organizations, individual students or staff
• Activities associated with credit-bearing classes
• Field trips
• On-going service-learning and volunteer programs. Proposed programs may have a philanthropic component, but must also be student led and team focused.
• Salary or wages for regular student and/or professional staff. Wages may be allowed for temporary skilled staff that are required for an event or program (i.e. lifeguards, referees/athletic officials).

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