On Wednesday, the Student Finance Board (SFB) passed a motion 14-0 to fully fund the College Union Board's (CUB) request to bring comedian Pablo Francisco to the College in April.
"I like that CUB tried to find more of a diverse comedian," Julia Pratt, executive director of SFB, said.
If Francisco accepts the bid, he will perform on April 11 in Packer Hall with Dean Edwards as his opening act.
Board members also passed a motion for CUB to host mtvU's Campus Invasion Tour in April.
If mtvU accepts CUB's bid, four bands will perform in the College's Recreational Center. As of now, only three of the four bands have been chosen, an issue that agitated some board members because CUB requested funding for all of the acts.
The three bands scheduled are Motion City Soundtrack, Hellogoodbye, and Straylight Run.
The extra funding CUB requested for the fourth band, an urban act that mtvU has yet to approve, totaled $10,000, a substantial amount of money to give CUB without confirmation for who the fourth band will be.
"I like the event, but I don't necessarily like that they're not telling us what they're doing with the other $10,000," Martin Halldorson, senior representative for SFB, said.
Others felt that CUB's reputability deserved consideration.
"CUB has earned our trust," John Trahanas, junior representative for SFB, said.
Overall, members agreed that the event had a high potential for success, and passed a motion 13-1 to fully fund the campus tour.
The Japanese Club, which had been somewhat inactive until last semester and was only recently approved by the Student Government Association (SGA), also requested funding to promote the organization through fliers and advertisements on campus.
Board members were torn about the need for an organization of this type on campus, considering to its similarities to the Asian-American Association (AAA) and tendency to participate in mostly off-campus events such as trips to Japanese restaurants.
Some members felt that the club would be valuable to the College because it offers something different to the community.
"It's a good club," Kobi Wilmot, management director of SFB, said. "It gives information about culture."
Other members felt the board was being overly generous.
"We need to be careful about funding new clubs," Jon Borst, administrative director of SFB, said.
While some board members felt that the club had existed prior and had not needed funding, others cited the recent surge in membership in the club and overall interest.
"The Japanese Club is clearly filling a niche," Kyle Brownlie, operations director for SFB, said.
Ultimately, arguments by board members in favor of the organization won over the remainder of the board, and a motion was passed 11-1-1 to fully fund the $247 request.
Opera Theatre requested $6,500 to perform the musical "Godspell" in March in Kendall Hall, which the board unanimously funded fully.
"I know from the past the plays have been successful," Erica Klazmer, sophomore representative for SFB, said.
The board also elected Steven Martinez, freshman business administration and finance major, as new representative at-Large for the remainder of the semester.
