By Betsy S. Blumenthal
Correspondent
At the SFB meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 26 members sat down to discuss the requests of a handful of organizations, including the Homecoming committee, INK, PRISM, the Asian American Association, the French Club and the Art Student Association.
With a laundry list of Special Appropriation requests, the board did their best to hear out the cases of each group starting with the Homecoming committee. Junior Tyler Liberty stood in front of the board and presented his idea for personalized rally towels, an expense of decent size that he suggested would add some pop to the Homecoming festivities this year.
Of their purpose Liberty said it would be “to have another campus-wide event during spirit week, to get people motivated and amped up in terms of school spirit and excitement about homecoming,” and would be distributed in the Brower Student Center on Friday, Oct. 19.
This is one of the many attempts of the Homecoming committee to unite the College’s student body — the ability to personalize the towels, according to Liberty, would make it more than just a giveaway. He made the point that it would allow students to feel like they have some personal hand in the Homecoming experience, because it is not associated with a particular organization. This application, however, was tabled until the manufacturer could provide a set price and number of towels.
The next proposal, brought forth by seniors Samantha Zimbler and Spencer Galati of INK, was a request for the sponsorship of the poet Ada Limon, whom they have asked to come to their event The Goods on Dec. 1. Among SFB board members, those who were unfamiliar with this event were a bit unwilling to stretch the dollar — yet, those who have attended in the past strongly supported the request. Junior and operations director Milana Lazareva said that she “absolutely love(s) this event,” and that the “speakers are such a big hit” among students, prompting other members to nod their heads in mutual agreement. The request for funds Limon’s flight and accommodations was approved.
Next was a request by PRISM to bring the lesbian director and filmmaker, Nisha Ganatra, to the College for Queer Awareness Month on Oct. 25. Cosponsored by the women’s and gender studies department, Women in Learning and Leadership, the Women’s Center and other organizations, PRISM sought out Ganatra to discuss her trials with adversity in a “male-dominated, heterosexual-dominated environment” in order to spread awareness about the state of treatment of the gay community in cities like N.Y. and Los Angeles. This was also approved.
Other organizations requesting funds were the Asian American Association, who sought to bring the comedian Eliot Chang to campus for a comedy show on Oct. 25 that plays on themes of “Culture and Diversity,” opening up a dialogue about minority relations and raising awareness about these issues. The French Club also appeared, asking the board to grant them funds to sponsor a club trip to the newly opened Barnes Museum in Philadelphia on Oct. 13, with the Spanish Club in attendance as well. This trip, which was approved, will also include a stop at a crêperie for a kick of kitsch and culture.
The last club to come forth with financial inquiries was the Art Students Association, who requested and were approved for $150 in tie-dying funds for an event on Oct. 3. This activity is meant to bring the College community together in a crafty, easygoing way, requiring very little knowledge of any specific artistic skill. It’s a way to advertise themselves, without getting too fancy about it.
Even though SFB agrees to finance certain events, there is no guarantee that these events will take place. The approval only makes the funds available.
