Financial Officer: Ben Fohner (bfohner@stanford.edu)
Amount Approved: $9,000
Full Budget

What is the mission and purpose of your student group?

The Stanford Scientific Review is a student-run publication with
the dual goals of bringing to the community information about new
scientific discoveries taking place at Stanford as well as
providing a forum for students and faculty to share their
knowledge and perspective on the ethical, policy and social
implications of new scientific advances.  Our journal is unique
because it does not only examine the issues of one particular
field of study but instead brings together scientific issues
facing every facet of our lives. By discussing, in the same
journal, advances in computer science, chemistry, engineer,
biology, physics and every other possible science we are able to
discourage the parochialism that often makes a truly
interdisciplinary understanding of the world around us
impossible. Bringing together students and faculty of so many
different fields, we encourage cooperation and mutual
understanding that can permeate the campus environment and
encourage thinking of scientific questions from multiple
perspectives. Our goal is not to be a research journal that
presents small slices of scientific developments in an inevitably
disjointed manner, but instead to be a forum where scientists and
non-scientists can discuss the implications of recent
developments in a language that is understandable to any educated
individual.  Not only do we provide the campus with an insightful
quarterly print journal, but also an electronic version available
at our website www.stanfordscientific.org, allowing student
voices to be heard by people everywhere. We plan in the coming
years to expand our services beyond simply a journal to include
outreach programs on campus such as hosting debates and panels
between eminent faculty members on the pressing and controversial
issues of the day which will enrich the Stanford community.

Why are you requesting Special Fees?

We are requesting Special Fees to cover the costs of publishing
our journal.  Special Fees funding is only used to cover printing
costs and does not fund meeting refreshments, special events, or
miscellaneous costs.  While we are very cost effective compared
with other publications of similar quality, the costs of our
semiannual print run of ~3,000 issues puts us out of the range of
Publications Board funding.  We plan to cover a large portion of
the printing costs through external fundraising, but are
requesting special fees to cover the remainder, as we do provide
free publications and services to the Stanford community.

What are the three largest line item requests in your budget and why?

The largest line item request, and consequently the only one for
which we are requesting funding, is the cost of printing our
journal.  We anticipate printing costs of $12,000 and are
requesting Special Fees to cover a portion of those costs.  Other
budgeted items (for which we are not requesting funding) are
marketing costs associated with raising external funds and
printing fees to pay for flyers and meeting handouts.

If you applied for Special Fees last year, is there an increase in the
amount you're seeking this year?  If so, why?

No.  This year, we are requesting less funding.  As we have
become established on campus and throughout the community, we
have been able to raise more external funds through
advertisements and sponsorships.  Our ultimate goal is
self-sufficiency, but we will need continued (but diminishing)
support over the next few years to meet this goal.