By Roderick Macioch
News Assistant
During its weekly meeting on Wednesday, March 9, the Student Finance Board (SFB) agreed to fund a variety of upcoming events. Some will highlight the College’s cultural diversity, while others are purely for entertainment.
Representatives of TCNJ Manhunt entered to propose their plan for Humans versus Zombies. As stated in the request proposal, the event is “an opportunity to get outside and participate in a fun game.”
TCNJ Manhunt requested funding for equipment, such as bandanas, a megaphone, Nerf darts and Nerf Hammershot Blasters.
After a motion to fund only the bandanas failed, the board voted to fund all of the equipment, except the blasters, in the amount of $143.79. Unlike past TCNJ Manhunt events, this will be free of charge. The daylong event will take place on Saturday, April 2, at various locations on campus and will begin at 9 a.m.
The Muslim Students’ Association (MSA) then proposed several events for Islamic Awareness Week, including MSA’s Flower Handout, Art Gala and Islamic Calligraphy and Peace by Piece: A Night of Poetry. These events all seek to “enlighten the (College) community about (Islam) and expose them to the religion of Islam,” according to the request form.
The Flower Handout, intended to highlight Islam’s peaceful nature, received $160. The event is scheduled for Monday, March 28, in Alumni Grove and the Brower Student Center. The Art Gala, which is scheduled for Wednesday, March 30, in the Lion’s Den, was also funded in the amount of $1,163. Likewise, the requested $75 was granted for Peace by Piece, in which “a diverse group of performers will be selected to perform and share their stories, beliefs and values on the theme of peace,” as quoted in the request form. The event is scheduled for 8 p.m. on Tuesday, March 29, in the Lion’s Den.
The Indian Student Association (ISA) then requested additional funding for Bollywood Night 2016, parts of which were tabled in a previous meeting. Although it was previously tabled, $100 of funding was granted to pay for a disc jockey (DJ). The event will take place on Saturday, March 26, from 8:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. in room 212 of the Education Building.
Synergy Dance Company requested funding for its Spring Spectacular. The event is a recital in which the company is “able to perform for the (College) community, family members and anyone else who is inspired by dance.”
The board voted to fund part of Synergy’s request in the amount of $3,369, which will cover expenses such as the booking fee and costumes. The event is scheduled to take place on Sunday, April 24, in Kendall Hall and will begin at 1 p.m.
Union Latina proposed its COPA Night. According to the request form, “the purpose of this activity is to spread Latino Awareness throughout the campus community by presenting traditional Latino music.” In all, Union Latina requested $4,601.34 to cover expenses such as a band and DJ to provide music, food and a photobooth.
The board’s funding guidelines mandate that “any requests for food in an amount over $250.00 should include at least two quotes.” Because Union Latina had failed to do so, the event was tabled.
Gospel United Ministries requested funding for its Gospel Extravaganza. According to the request form, the event “is a celebration of gospel music with a full live band experience and traditional choirs. It is an opportunity for students of faith to share a corporate worship experience with other college students and TCNJ alumni who have continued spreading their faith and music abroad.”
The event will feature performances by the Ahmad Sanon Band and Will Morris — Christian music artists and alumni of Gospel United Ministries.
The board voted to fund the event and these performances in the amount of $400.
Voice of Hope, the College’s Christian a capella group, requested funding for Tim Be Told, an Asian-American Christian band, to perform at the College. The event will be co-sponsored by the Chinese Student Association, the New Jersey Christian Fellowship, the Protestant Bible Fellowship, the Korean Student Association and the Asian American Association.
In its request form, Voice of Hope stated that attendees “will be uplifted by encouraging music, opportunities to pray and opportunities to meet and work with people from different organizations on campus.”
The board passed a motion to fully fund the event in the amount of $3,672, which will cover Mayo Concert Hall booking fees and the band’s appearance fee.
The event will be held on Friday, April 1, at 7 p.m. in Mayo Hall.
The final order of business was Student Government’s (SG) Spring 2016 T-shirt Swap. The event will “give students the opportunity to exchange T-shirts from their high school or other colleges with a TCNJ shirt,” according to the request form.
The board hesitated due to the large amount requested — $11,044.87 — and also expressed fears that the event would be redundant, considering that an almost identical event was held during the fall semester.
However, deciding that the event was likely to still have enough appeal to be a success, the board passed a motion to grant $7,800 for the shirts, but to not fund the stickers, smoothies or balloons for which SG had also requested funding.
The event will be held on Wednesday, March 30, on the Green Hall lawn.
*Even though SFB agrees to finance certain events, there is no guarantee these events will take place. The approval only makes the funds available.
