webjunkie
03-04-2009, 07:04 PM
Weeks of running around and losing sleep have paid off.
Sorry if this is long winded but I've seen the light at the end of the tunnel.
The student association for my department puts on a grad student conference every year. This year the guy who was supposed to be in charge of finances decided that he didn't want that job anymore and so it fell to me.
In order to receive public funds (ie any group or dept on campus) I needed to present a very detailed itemized budget proposal complete with quotes, estimates, room reservations, the whole works. As is generally par for the course for graduate students, getting people to get me their budgets was like pulling teeth and took forever. This would have all been fine if we hadn't had to move the conference up a month (to this weekend in fact). So whereas before our funding requests were going to be on time, now we were running roughly a month behind.
To sum this all up:
A month ago we had $500 and needed $3005. A week later I managed to rush through funding requests and we had $3000. This mainly involved running around and apologizing profusely for being late (not entirely my fault, but my responsibility so it's still my fault), groveling, and running paperwork all over campus. So we end up with just enough to squeak by with. One group denied us funding, but still no problem. Fast forward to this week, and the restaurant that where we are holding the reception dinner on Friday calls and tells us that they forgot to inform us that they require a 20% gratuity for a group our size. Not the news we wanted to hear because we now need a total of $3031.50 (we were under budget for a couple of things or this would have been worse). Still, some things can be cut and we'll be fine.... ish.
Today I get an e-mail informing me that the group that denied us funding earlier has changed their minds because an event they were funding was cancelled and they will be giving us $750. The conference is now fully and completely funded. No cutting anywhere, and I can finally sleep at night.
I feel like a celebration is in order. Which means a large glass of a cheap but decent wine, and more work on translating stuff for my thesis. :new_rofl:
Sorry to make a huge post, but for a while it has felt like I've been having to run a marathon at a sprint and I just passed the finish line.
Sorry if this is long winded but I've seen the light at the end of the tunnel.
The student association for my department puts on a grad student conference every year. This year the guy who was supposed to be in charge of finances decided that he didn't want that job anymore and so it fell to me.
In order to receive public funds (ie any group or dept on campus) I needed to present a very detailed itemized budget proposal complete with quotes, estimates, room reservations, the whole works. As is generally par for the course for graduate students, getting people to get me their budgets was like pulling teeth and took forever. This would have all been fine if we hadn't had to move the conference up a month (to this weekend in fact). So whereas before our funding requests were going to be on time, now we were running roughly a month behind.
To sum this all up:
A month ago we had $500 and needed $3005. A week later I managed to rush through funding requests and we had $3000. This mainly involved running around and apologizing profusely for being late (not entirely my fault, but my responsibility so it's still my fault), groveling, and running paperwork all over campus. So we end up with just enough to squeak by with. One group denied us funding, but still no problem. Fast forward to this week, and the restaurant that where we are holding the reception dinner on Friday calls and tells us that they forgot to inform us that they require a 20% gratuity for a group our size. Not the news we wanted to hear because we now need a total of $3031.50 (we were under budget for a couple of things or this would have been worse). Still, some things can be cut and we'll be fine.... ish.
Today I get an e-mail informing me that the group that denied us funding earlier has changed their minds because an event they were funding was cancelled and they will be giving us $750. The conference is now fully and completely funded. No cutting anywhere, and I can finally sleep at night.
I feel like a celebration is in order. Which means a large glass of a cheap but decent wine, and more work on translating stuff for my thesis. :new_rofl:
Sorry to make a huge post, but for a while it has felt like I've been having to run a marathon at a sprint and I just passed the finish line.