By Roderick Macioch
Staff Writer
The Student Finance Board’s first meeting of the Spring 2016 semester came to order at 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 3, to decide what events deserve funding.
The Asian American Association (AAA) requested the necessary funding for a performance by Korean-American singer-songwriter Clara C.
“There are very few Asians represented in the media,” the request form read. “Having an Asian American representative performing will not only speak to those of the same culture, but to those interested in music.”
The association expressed plans to invite students from both Princeton and Rutgers universities.
The AAA’s plan to charge for admission was met with some opposition from the board. As a result, the event proposal was amended to make the event free of charge for all attendees.
The board unanimously voted in favor of allocating the $6,500 necessary to fund the performance, which is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 16, at 7 p.m. in Mayo Concert Hall.
Representatives of the College Union Board (CUB) entered to propose its plan for the annual Spring Lecture. As stated in CUB’s proposal, the goal of the event is to “appeal to different types of students by sticking to the traditional, but successful and popular, topic of discussion that the (College) community has expressed interest in — pop culture and the entertainment industry.”
The board questioned whether the guest lecturers CUB had contacted (Shawn Johnson, Wilmer Valderrama, or Patricia Arquette) would have enough appeal to justify the appearance of the $30,000 fees they were each requesting. CUB’s fourth consideration for a guest lecturer was Todrick Hall, whose appearance fee was slightly less at $25,000, but was still a large investment which the board did not feel comfortable making.
After much deliberation, the board decided to table the request until CUB could provide more evidence that such a large investment would be a wise one.
Student Government then proposed TCNJ Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow (EPCOT). Co-sponsored by the Center for Global Engagement, the event seeks to “share the different cultures of the student body at (the College) through entertainment, activities, stands and educational facts around each station,” according to the request form. “Through this event, students will be able to gain awareness of the different types of diversity there is at (the College), all in a fun experience.”
When the time came to vote, the requested $3,115.46 was granted unanimously. The event is scheduled for Thursday, March 24, from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. in the Brower Student Center.
TCNJ Jiva requested the necessary funding to cover travel expenses to attend University of Pittsburgh’s Dhirana — an annual Indian dance competition that will take place on Saturday, Feb. 20.
“Competing in national competitions allows our team to continue practicing Indian dance, learn from other collegiate teams and promote the College,” according to the request form. A majority of the board voted in favor of Jiva and the requested $754.40 was granted.
Black Student Union (BSU) requested funding for The Black Monologues — just one of the many BSU events happening during Black History Month.
According to the request form, the event “is designed to give students, staff and faculty an opportunity to share their stories through the performance of original monologues while educating the campus community on institutional issues and experiences affecting the African-descended members of the College.”
The board decided to fully grant BSU’s request in the amount of $117.13. The event is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, Feb. 9, from 8:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. in the
Library Auditorium and will be catered by Sodexo.
Board member Ziyi Wang, a sophomore finance major, crossed to the other side of the table to propose a Chinese New Year Celebration presented by the Chinese Students Association (CSA).
CSA stated in its proposal that this event will allow students to “gain a newfound appreciation for Asian culture and be interested in experiencing more of it.”
The celebration will include martial arts, dance and musical performances to represent the culture, according to Wang. The board unanimously voted to grant the full $3,350 requested for the event, which is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 13, at 7:30 p.m. in the Decker Social Space.
The board also promoted sophomore economics major David Braisted from his previous position of sophomore representative to executive assistant.
*Even though SFB agrees to finance certain events, there is no guarantee these events will take place. The approval only makes the funds available.
