The Ohio State Chapter of the NAACP hopes to increase its budget this year by applying for funding through the Council on Student Affairs.The new income is needed for organizational costs of the growing chapter, said Cinnamon Pelly, chapter president.The OSU chapter of the National Advancement of Colored People has doubled in size since its inception last year, Pelly said. It now has 55 to 60 members, about 30 of whom attend meetings regularly.”Every little bit of money is going to help,” she said. “We’ve had to come out of our pockets and have relied heavily on the generosity of faculty and staff.”A report last year said the chapter didn’t submit a proper constitution in order to receive funding. But Rebecca Parker, an adviser to the chapter, said the delay in funding is due to a late start.”The chapter didn’t get established until late last spring. That’s why it was too late for funding,” Parker said.Founded in 1901 in New York, the NAACP has fought for the abolition of segregation and discrimination. An OSU chapter was active during the mid-1980s but perished after its members graduated.The chapter plans to focus time money on police relations and the minority retention rate, Parker said.The focus on police relations is a result of several incidents in which students believed their rights were infringed, Pelly said.A committee consisting of the chapter, Columbus Police, University Police, OSU faculty and USG was formed last November to help ease tension between police and students.Jian Allen, director of Police/Community Relations for the chapter, said he is working at building forums in which police and students can communicate effectively.”We also want to make students aware of what their rights are,” Allen said.Pelly said the chapter will hold a panel discussion on affirmative action co-sponsored by the Student Union and African American Student Services in celebration of Black History Month in February. The mission of the NAACP is much the same today as it was in its inception, Pelly said.”We fight for American ideals,” she said. “We’re trying to improve the quality of life and stand up for those that can’t defend themselves.”