Welcome to the new independent UFB website! This will be the hub for all information about UFB from here on out. Before I go any further, I would like to thank Yuzuka Akasaka, the 2017-2018 UFB Chair, for being the first person to champion having a UFB website and for doing most of the initial research and work for the first version of the website, which was formerly part of brownucs.org. Without her, UFB would not be where it is now.
Why do we need an independent website? There are three main reasons why UFB is launching an independent website: first, to increase understanding of our policies, second, to give UFB a means to communicate with students on campus, and third, to increase transparency surrounding the student activity fee allocation.
First and foremost, all of our policies will be posted on the website. In the past, there has been a great deal of confusion surrounding our policies. We hope this website can be used as a useful resource to clarify any questions before groups meet with their representative. Before submitting a budget, we encourage all groups to double check to make sure that what they are requesting fits into these policies. This will save a great deal of time and ensure a smoother process.
Second, this website will give UFB the ability to communicate directly with the student body. From now on, UFB will announce new initiatives, explain policy changes, and respond directly to comments or questions by issuing statements on this website. These statements and the website are meant to be a source of accurate information for students.
Third, this website will increase transparency surrounding the allocation of the Student Activities Fund. Every undergraduate student at Brown pays into this fund, so we see it as UFB's responsibility to be open about how the money is allocated to groups. Starting in the 2018-2019 academic year, UFB is working to issue reports outlining how the fund is used.
We do all of this in the hopes of providing clarity and transparency around UFB. As a student elected board, we are responsible for catering to the needs of the student body and work to be receptive to feedback. We hope this website becomes a useful tool, and we look forward to continuing to improve the site and our budgeting process to accomplish that goal.