SB council

SB Council

The SB council is a volunteering-based student council for the Sde Boker campus.

Are we the same as the Aguda?

No, we are separate from the official student body of Ben Gurion University. In recent years, we asked for the option for the students on our campus not to pay the welfare fee of the Aguda, as most of the students live on this campus and could not benefit from the activities the Aguda offered, and though (with reason) that it is a waste of everyone's money.

Want to learn more about the SB council and the activities on campus? Click here.

Aguda

The Aguda (Student Union) is the official student body for all of Ben Gurion University's students.

Based in Be'er Sheva, the Aguda organizes exciting and interesting events on an almost daily basis. The Aguda also addresses issues related to the welfare of the student body as a whole and of individual students. Members of the Aguda (who paid the Aguda welfare) are even entitled to unlimited access to the University's Sports Center in Be'er Sheva. All students are able to join the Aguda by paying the "welfare/student activity" fee at the beginning of the academic year.

To learn more about the Aguda, visit their website (English or Hebrew). The Aguda also sends out a weekly update in English specifically for international students (sign up). Or just check the Aguda out on Facebook!

BGU AGUDA - Main Campus

Finances

FINANCES

All students planning a community event or activity that benefits all students, can request funding from the SB Council.

You can submit your request here.

Frequently Asked Questions about the SB Council’s Finances

How does the SB Council get its money?

The SB Council has two sources of funding:

Albert Katz International School (AKIS): Every month the AKIS gives 10 NIS for each Master and PhD student and for every post-doc. The amount therefore varies depending on the number of students, but on average it comes to about 12,000 NIS per semester. While the amount is calculated on a per month basis, the actual deposit to our account occurs only twice per year.
Cash: Sometimes the SB Council collects cash to subsidize events.

Are there restrictions on how the SB Council can spend its money?

Yes. Money coming from AKIS is relatively unrestricted. Alcoholic products are prohibited to buy through this account, but aside from this, the School is generally willing to support any/all student activities. The caveat to this is that the school requires the activity to be insured (see below) and for the expense to be considered “justified” (i.e., it’s not a service already offered in Be’er Sheva). Money from this account does not need to be spent by any sort of “deadline.” That is, if one year’s Council does not spend any of the money, it will all be available the following year.

Can I request funding from the SB Council?

Yes. If you are planning an event/activity that can benefit a large group of students, then the SB Council may be able to assist you. The best way to request money from the SB Council is to send an email to councilsb@post.bgu.ac.il with a short description of why you are requesting funding and how much money you would need. Note that the money from the council comes through vouchers, and so, it must be through a vendor that works with the university (i.e. Zin supermarket).

How much money does the SB Council currently have? What has it spent money on in the past?

We’ve created a summary of the past year expense that you can download here.