The Student Finance Board (SFB) was so impressed with an eight-member co-sponsorship to bring guest speaker Katie Koestner to the College on Feb. 19 that it did not hesitate to give away $1,250, about a quarter of the $5,017 essentially remaining in the special appropriations line (after $15,000 is taken out of the $20,017 line in the near future for Senior Week).
The massive co-sponsorship supporting the event includes the White Ribbon Campaign, Inter-Greek Council, the women's softball team, the office of campus wellness, the athletic department, the women and gender studies department, Travers and Wolfe Halls and the First Year Government (FYG).
Koestner will be speaking about the dangers and seriousness of sexual assault.
The only discussion before voting, 8-0-1, on full-funding involved Chairman Craig Gross saying "We're hanging this one on the wall," and Jared Breunig, director of communications, saying, "They did everything we've ever asked of a group before."
The Leadership Development Program (LDP) also wanted to bring speakers to the College. However, the organization's request for $14,400 was returned with $0 funding, by a vote of 7-0-3.
LDP wanted to bring two breakout speakers to campus; Tim Gard, to speak about harnessing the power of humor in personal and professional life, and Paul Vitale, to enforce the importance of a positive attitude, a strong work ethic and other vital components. They would join another breakout speaker along with a keynote speaker at LDP's Spring Leadership Conference on Feb. 28.
Ravi Kaneriya, freshman representative, said while its fun to have speakers, they can get redundant after a while.
Breunig noted the total price of the program is about $4,000 an hour for a program attended by about 100 people.
Breunig did not see this as cost effective.
Mike Cilia, SGA vice president of administration and finance, said the best part of LDP's programs happens after the speakers talk, when the organization breaks down the audience in groups and does activities. He said the speakers might set the tone, but LDP could probably set the tone just as well and save a lot of money.
After Gross told the organization it had received $0, he said "they're not too happy with me."
The table tennis club, whose request was tabled at the last meeting because the group had no room or facilities, received $653 of a $780 request with a vote of 6-3-1.
Since the last SFB meeting, the table tennis club got a room in the recreation center where its equipment can be secure, as the board requested.
The club requested two Stiga Quickplay IX tables at $200 each and one Stiga Quickplay IIX table at $300. The SFB did not feel it was necessary to have the more expensive table, and instead gave the group funding for three Stiga Quickplay Ix tables.
Also, discrepancies in published prices and the prices in the request for four paddles and seven packs of balls led the paddle price to be reduced from $30
