The Student Activities Commission approved an amendment to its funding guidelines Tuesday that will allow groups to modify their programming schedules during the course of a semester, provided that added events do not require additional funds.

Previously, groups were not permitted to add events to their programming arcs — the detailed outline of planned events they submit at the beginning of the semester — except in the case of unexpected events.

Clubs will now be able to present changes to their programming arcs during the third SAC meeting of each month. Groups must show detailed plans for new events, which will be approved based on the success or failure of an organization’s previous events.

According to the funding guidelines, if groups decide to add events, they must be able to demonstrate their ability to fund them. If a group decides to cut an event, the appropriate amount of money will be withdrawn from its account.

Unpredictable events will continue to be considered separately and are still eligible for allocations from SAC’s contingency fund.

The amendment was proposed by SAC Commissioners Carlos DeLaTorre (COL ’13), Kolby Keo (COL ’14) and Lili Bayer (SFS ’13).

“We still reserve the right to not approve modifications,” DeLaTorre said at the meeting. “We should see it as a privilege for groups to get additional events approved.”

The modification to the funding guidelines was spurred by feedback from SAC’s town hall held April 1. The amendment will be added to SAC’s funding guidelines for the 2011-2012 fiscal year and will be published on SAC’s website.

SAC Commissioner Amanda Lanzillo (SFS ’13) urged that the new policy be used to curtail redundant programming on or around the same day by several student organizations.

The amendment was approved with 10 affirmative votes and two abstentions. Nine out of 12 commissioners’ votes were needed for approval.

Emma Green (COL ’12), treasurer of the Philodemic Society, applauded SAC’s efforts.

“This along with the amendment to change the appeals process are both steps in the right direction. They both allow for more flexibility in ways that are perfectly logical,” she said.

Alex Crane (COL ’12), president of the GU Art Aficionados, said the amendment was an important change.

“While it’s great to ask clubs to look ahead, the previous structure was far too limiting and did not allow for creativity,” she said.

The commission decided to postpone addressing more proposed amendments — including a possible contingency fund through which organizations could be allocated additional funds — until the fall.

“We are definitely under a pressure cooker,” said Koenig, explaining the committee’s decisions to leave some proposals until next semester.