Student Leader Stipend Criteria
The Office of Student Activities oversees the awarding and distribution of stipends to leaders of
student organizations at American University. Stipends are funded through Student Activity Fees
that are collected by the university and distributed to student governance organizations by Student
Activities. Student Activities is responsible for setting an annual cap on the percentage of student
activity fees that can be spent on stipends. The university adheres to the policy followed by nonprofit organizations that sets a cap of no more than 15% on stipends.
Once the cap is set, Budget Advisory Committee (BAC) members bring stipend recommendations for
their organizations to the full committee for consideration. These recommendations are informed by
the governing documents of each organization and the pay grade levels (see attach) of jobs based on
similar responsibilities and scope. BAC makes a recommendation on the levels of all stipends which
is then approved and posted by Student Activities no later than April 1. BAC has the prerogative to
raise, to lower, and to end stipends and to rework the pay grade document.
Stipends are not intended to pay students for the work done as leaders of an organization. Instead,
stipends are in place so that all students, including those who might otherwise be required to earn
outside income while in school, have the opportunity to lead a student organization.
While Student Activities will work with the university finance offices to set up the payment of
stipends, BAC will determine the schedule of those payments. For the school year 2015 – 2016, the
schedule will be twice a semester: in the middle of the semester and at the end.
To receive stipends, students have a two week window at the beginning of each semester to complete
the financial documents required. BAC is responsible for advertising and enforcing this deadline.
Student Leader Stipend Criteria
To be considered for a stipend, student leaders must meet the following criteria:
- Recipients must be full-time students (minimum of 12 hours) in good standing at
American with a minimum grade point average of 2.5. Students who are taking fewer than 12 hours
must have the permission of the Director of Student Activities to take a leadership role.
- Recipients must be part of the leadership team of one of the three student governance organizations
at AU: Student Government, AU Club Council or AU Student Media.
- Recipients must post and maintain weekly office hours.
- Recipients’ office hours, stipend amounts, bios and contact information will be posted on the
Student Activities web site each semester.
- Recipients must meet the minimum job requirements set in each organization’s leadership
documents. All documents must clearly state the process for selection and a process through which
leaders can be removed. If a recipient is removed or leaves midway through a semester, no stipend
will be paid.
- Recipients must complete goal-setting documents distributed by Student Activities at the start of
each semester. Performance reviews, based on the goal-setting documents will be conducted by
Student Activities advisors at the close of each semester. It is the job of the governing organizations,
not BAC or student activities advisors, to make sure students receiving stipends fulfill the
requirements of their positions as outlined in job descriptions. Governing organizations may decide,
based on the procedures outlined in their governing documents, not to pay a student based on nonperformance of responsibilities. BAC is the proper body to hear appeals of those decisions.
- Recipients who wish to receive a portion of their stipends during the summer must make a request
in writing to Student Activities detailing their goals for work completed during the summer.
Recipients of summer stipends must hold on-campus office hours, during work hours (9 am to 6 pm)
throughout the summer and be available for on-campus Eagle Summit and Welcome Week activities.
The summer portion cannot exceed a third of the total stipend and will be paid at the end of the
summer.
Created: April 2015