The Student Finance Board (SFB) made a unique decision in an effort to divide the remaining money in the special appropriations line fairly when chairperson Craig Gross vetoed a decision made at the beginning of the meeting with a vote of 6-5-0 to allocate $975 to the men's volleyball team.
The request was then tabled for next week's meeting, along with requests from intramurals and the women's club volleyball team, so the roughly $2,000 that Jennyfer Nesci, director of finance, thinks she can pull from unused money back into the account will be available for appropriation. The board felt it could better decide how much to fund once it is aware of exactly how much money is available.
The request from the men's club volleyball team was actually taken off the table from last week's meeting, when it was categorized as a conference request. The conference request line, however, is completely exhausted. The request was changed to special appropriations because, according to Gross, athletic events can come out of the special appropriations line. The team requested to send 12 members to the 2004 National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association (NIRSA) Collegiate Volleyball Sport Club Championships in Charlotte, N.C. from April 8 - 10 for $3,953.46.
"I don't see spending half the money we have left on something benefiting only 10 people from the school," Julia Pratt, Student Government Association (SGA) Liaison, said.
The board decided to fund the $975 registration fee, until later in the meeting when the decision was made to veto and table the request.
The intramurals request, also tabled, involved sending 10 players plus a coach to the 2004 USA Team Tennis National Campus Championship in Daytona Beach, F.L. from March 11 - 13 for $4,458.34.
The third tabled request, from the women's club volleyball team, was also to attend the 2004 NIRSA Collegiate Volleyball Sport Club Championships in Charlotte, N.C., but from April 7 - 11. The women's team requested $4,177.24.
SGA, with the Senior Class Council (SCC), received full funding of $15,000 for Senior Week with a vote of 7-3-0. This request is less than half of the $38,000 SFB funded for Senior Week last year.
To cooperate with the budget constraints, the SCC cut costs while still keeping the schedule busy, so as to also cooperate with the administration's concerns for safety.
Nicole Colello, senior class vice president, said "we're focusing on keeping 'em out and occupied so they don't go back to the towers and start drinking."
The week of activities includes trips to Atlantic City, Great Adventure, Bar Anticipation, a senior picnic and a senior formal dinner dance. Admission to the bar will be free, in contrast to the $10,000 Colello said it cost to be admitted into a bar during last year's Senior Week.
The ticket price of $150 was also raised from last year's price of $125, to help cut costs. There was some debate within SFB between some of the underclassmen and upperclassmen regarding the necessity of Senior Week.
Julian Gomez, sophomore representative, said "I don't think it's fair you make freshman, sophomores and juniors pay for your senior class trip."
"Every class pays for the seniors," Rachel Forman, junior representative, said, "and when you're a senior they'll pay for you."
The Italian Club received $670 out of the transportation line for bussing to an opera on April 17. The vote was unanimous.
