ASUCD’s newest scholarship aims at trying to alleviate financial burdens that nearly every undergraduate student experiences.
The scholarship consists of four $500 scholarships and three $1,000 scholarships and is given out during Fall and Spring Quarter. Eligibility for the scholarships consists of being in good academic standing (at least a 2.0 GPA), having no current disciplinary sanctions and being a returning undergraduate student.
Students who have various skills and achievements, such as exceptional leadership capabilities or are a first generation college student or who have provided service to the community, are encouraged to apply.
“This is our association’s attempt to lift financial burdens off of students,” said third-year political science, international relations and human rights major and ASUCD Vice President Yena Bae. “We’re trying to put money back into student’s pockets.”
The original endowment for the scholarships was started in 1999 with a $50,000 transfer of funds from the ASUCD Reserves to the ASUCD Awards Endowment Fund. Ten percent of the accrued surplus at the end of each fiscal year is transferred to the scholarship fund to be allotted to scholarship winners.
Up until last year the endowment had been somewhat forgotten.
“For the past four years it kind of got pushed off to the side,” Bae said.
Last spring, former ASUCD Vice President Bree Rombi and former Senator Andre Lee kick-started and helped pass Senate Bill 63 which brought back the scholarships and created the ASUCD Scholarship Committee.
“It is a great opportunity for undergrads,” said Publications Coordinator at the Internship and Career Center (ICC) Stephanie Perla.
The Scholarship Committee goes over each applicant’s submission individually to decide whether they want to have the applicant come in for a face-to-face interview. Fall Quarter had nearly 400 applicants for the scholarship.
The scholarships were created with the idea that all students should have a chance to win one. AB-540 students can also apply for the scholarship.
“I think that ASUCD did a great job in including all undergraduate students in the scholarships,” said sophomore chemistry major and Judge for Student Judicial Affairs (SJA) Oliver Fong.
The ASUCD Senate is now starting a campaign to try to raise more money for their scholarship funds. Senate Bill 18 officially started the campaign.
All applications for the ASUCD Scholarship are due by May 8 and can be sent in via asucd.ucdavis.edu/scholarships.
MAX GARRITY RUSSER can be reached at campus@theaggie.org.
