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(11/11/03 12:00pm)
If you've been to the movies lately, you might have noticed the steadily climbing prices of tickets and concessions in direct proportion to the rate your wallet has been thinning.
If you're not already choking on dry movie popcorn, the price of those kernels is enough to make you gag - $4 and up for a large. And with tickets upwards of $8, someone making minimum wage would have to work through the entire movie "Inspector Gadget" (from opening to closing credits, at 88 minutes) to afford a ticket at the theater.
Most of us would appreciate paying less for our movie-going experiences. And, outside of illegally downloading a bootleg copy of "The Matrix Revolutions," there are ways to enjoy a trip to the big screen with some snacks, for less.
* Go to a matinee. Most movies that start on or before 5:30 p.m. have lower admission than primetime evening shows. For these earlier showings, ticket prices are as low as $5. Compared with an $8 ticket, you'll save 31 percent when you opt for an early show.
* Don't go on the weekends. Some theaters reward you for not coming on their busy days - Friday, Saturday and Sunday - by offering reduced admission during the week. Often, theaters will charge the matinee price for any movie shown during those days, at any time. If you can wait, skip opening night.
* Use a movie pass. Theaters such as Loews distribute movie passes, which allow you to buy a $5 coupon to see an $8 movie. Loews does not sell the passes directly, but some businesses, colleges and organizations sell the coupons as part of an "employee/student discount" program. Many Visa credit card holders can also take advantage of the deal. Ask around to see who offers these movie passes. If you really live at the movies, you can go to Loews directly and buy a book of 50 passes, which will allow you to see 50 movies in one year for the price of the book, $265. The same amount of movie tickets at regular price would cost $400.
* Flash your student identification card. Doing so will get you a student discount, which means saving $2 on admission at AMC Theaters.
* Get a job at the movie theater. You'll see a bunch of movies and get paid for it.
* Sign up for MovieWatcher. AMC Theaters patrons can join MovieWatcher, a club that rewards regular visitors with free tickets and concession-stand food. It's free to join. Each time you buy a ticket, hand over your MovieWatcher card to accumulate points you can redeem for a free pass. Visit moviewatcher.com for further details.
* Buy a lot of Glad bags. Google for "free movie passes," and the search engine will spit out rebate offers from Glad, Nestle and other manufacturers, which allow you to buy their products (which you presumably already do) and cut out the UPCs to complete an offer for a free movie pass. If you know you'll eventually go to the movies, use this offer - but don't expect to time the mail delivery of your free pass with an opening night, because rebates can take months to process.
* Don't buy a soda. A large soda will cost you $4 and up at a theater concession stand. Let's not forget that your fountain beverage is mostly ice, not soda (which is already thinned out in the fountain.) After you take out the ice and extra water, your jumbo Shrek commemorative soda cup contains about as much soft drink as an 11.5 ounce can of soda. A soft drink costs about 45 cents, so you're paying about 1,000 percent more for soda in a movie theater.
Furthermore, the same fountain drink at a restaurant (often with free refills) won't cost you more than $2. Should you shell out $4 for something easy to get at one-one thousandth of the cost elsewhere? I wouldn't, especially if it will make me go to the bathroom and miss some of the movie.
* Don't buy food (especially popcorn). Film companies demand as much as a 75 percent cut for every ticket the theater sells. In order to make up for this, the theater concession stand products are overpriced. Still, the captive audience waits in long lines to buy food.
According to the Angelika Film Center in Dallas, for a 50-pound bag of ingredients, theaters will pay anywhere between $12 to $32. So, for every portion a moviegoer buys, about 50 cents worth of ingredients are used. When a patron buys a large popcorn at $5.50, the theater has marked up the price by more than 1,500 percent. Compare this to delicatessens, which mark up prices by an average of 51 percent. So, skip the popcorn and watch the rest of the fools endure long lines and high prices.
* Try bringing your own food. I've never heard of anyone getting kicked out of a theater for sneaking in some Jujubes and Goobers, have you? Truthfully, most theaters don't allow this practice. But enforcement seems as rare as getting pulled over for driving 51 mph in a 50 mph zone. According to an AMC representative, this chain doesn't mind if you bring food from home, but may stop you if you're bold enough to carry in two liters of soda and an extra-large pizza. Be discreet, and you should be fine.
* Don't go. After a night out with friends at a local eatery, the next course after dessert is often a movie. This is usually a spontaneous decision, made as a way to prolong the evening's fun. We flock to the theater and, after staring at the movie timetable for some time, inevitably pick the movie that will begin soon, regardless of whether we know anything about it or even want to see it. This almost never ends happy. Personally, I always end up sore, sitting through a bad movie I paid too much to see. Save money by skipping the post-dessert movie and head home for a game of Uno.
Entertainment, since it is not a necessity, can be eliminated entirely - you'll still live. Treat a trip to the movies like the treat it is, and your wallet will thicken.
(10/14/03 12:00pm)
A Trenton-area high school student graduates first in her class, but, because she is an illegal immigrant, colleges and universities will ask her to pay tuition often double the amount in-state students pay.
Uni?n Latina (UL) is behind the College's efforts to implement a reversal in the current law, which requires non-citizens to pay out-of-state fees. It is promoting federal and state versions of the In-State Tuition Act.
The federal and state versions of the bill will allow colleges to charge immigrants the in-state rate. The federal version allows non-citizens to be eligible for financial aid and leave to visit families abroad.
Kathy Ragan, director of Student Financial Services, said after a student's residency status is entered into the computer, tuition is automatically calculated at either the in-state or out-of-state fee.
According to Carlos Avila, UL member, and other proponents of the In-State Tuition Act, asking an undocumented student to pay the out-of-state rate is unfair.
Avila is behind the organization of a campaign that involves letter writing, presentations to New Jersey colleges, community outreach and civic activities.
"These bills must go into law for the sole purpose of the betterment of our society," Avila said. "The students that would benefit from these laws are a credit to society."
A 1996 federal law addressing illegal immigration included a provision that affects state residency requirements for in-state tuition rates, which are traditionally a matter of state law.
Now, states are prohibited from offering in-state tuition rates to unauthorized immigrant
students, also known as undocumented students, unless other U.S. citizens are eligible for the same rate.
An undocumented student who wishes to attend the College would pay the out-of-state rate of $447 per credit, even though the person may have lived in the state for more than 15 years. The in-state rate is nearly half, $285 per credit.
According to the office of Records and Registration, the residency status of non-United States citizens must be reviewed on a case-by-case basis, but that most non-immigrant aliens are not eligible for in-state tuition.
Avila said there are several testimonials of some students affected by the In-State Tuition Act, who signed only their first names so as to not be discovered as illegal aliens.
David, and illegal immigrant from Venezuela, attended New Jersey schools since the age seven, and was about to graduate as the salutatorian from his Hudson County high school.
David said Rutgers University awarded him a $14,000 scholarship, but he was not able to accept it because he is an illegal alien.
A green card can cost thousands of dollars in lawyer's fees and take years to process. As a result, David ended up having to attend a community college and then had to drop out because his mother could not afford to pay the tuition.
Avila reached out to local organizations and legislators who made him aware of the Development Relief and Education for Alien Minor (or DREAM) Act and The Student Adjustment Act, S. 1545 and H.R. 1684, respectively. On the state level, the bills are referred to as the In-State Tuition Act, or S. 2552 and A. 2633.
UL entered the campaign after Avila presented information to the organization. UL Secretary Greg Blair said the group is united in its support of these acts. UL has forwarded more than 50 letters from students to legislators, asking them to approve the bills.
The organization is also working with the Asian American Association, the Black Student Union and Lambda Sigma Upsilon fraternity. Avila has also presented his initiatives to groups at Rutgers and Montclair State Universities.
Since non-citizens do not pay state taxes, some said the out-of-state rate should apply just as it should to other people who don't pay state taxes.
"They don't pay taxes to the state, which is why residents get a tuition break," Caitlin Gaughan, sophomore communication studies major, said.
Others said it would be unfair to charge students the out-of-state tuition rate, because they live in New Jersey.
"A young child has no say in the matter, when it's the parents that often bring them here," Amber Quisenberry, sophomore criminology said. "Why penalize them for that?"
Others said non-citizens should not be expected to pay the lower rate, because they are often in financial need.
"The value of education transcends what your residency is and what country you're from," Zach Scarlett, junior history major, said. "Higher education shouldn't discriminate on the basis of someone's immigrant status."
"They should be charged the in-state tuition," Kelly Dallavalle, junior marketing major, said. "I think they need access to opportunities, to get an education."
Vicki Lupinski, junior secondary education math major, said she didn't think non-citizens could attend college, and doesn't think they should be allowed to. "Take the test (for citizenship) and then we'll talk," she said.
Avila welcomes help from any individuals or campus organizations. Those interested can contact him at avila1@tcnj.edu.
(10/14/03 12:00pm)
Outkast just don't make the same album twice. Instead, the genre-pushing hip hop act released two different albums at the same time.
The much-anticipated double album, "Speakerboxxx/The Love Below" gives the duo of Big Boi (Anton Patton) and Andre 3000 (Andre Benjamin) the forum to stand on their own respective feet, making this release a pseudo-solo album for members of a band that is still together. This paradox works well, as each half has produced a fine album displaying the nuances of two different-yet-same performers.
With a nearly decades-old tradition of garnering critical and fan acclaim, the Atlanta-based group first made waves with its initial offering, 1994's "Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik" (which spawned the hit "Player's Ball"), creating much buzz about the so-called "third coast" of hip hop music - the Deep South. And, after having developed the geography of the South on "Southern.," Outkast ventured into different sonic realms with the sci-fi funk of "ATLiens" (1996), the defiant yet homegrown "Aquemini" (1998) and turn-of-the-century hip hop on "Stankonia" (2000).
Now, three years later, the duo holds its throne as the most progressive rap group in the mainstream.
"Speakerboxxx/The Love Below" has an ambitious format, but Outkast pulls it off easily. The band takes its time in developing full albums instead of a handful of singles between filler. Besides that, only subtle differences exist between this offering and Outkast's previous work. Surprising beats (such as "Spread"), modern-day Parliament funk ("She Lives in my Lap"), slick production from the state-of-the-art Stankonia studio and the clever wordplay Big Boi and Andre 3000 hold their ground.
"Speakerboxxx/The Love Below" is best appreciated as a way Big Boi and Andre 3000 can each maintain audience attention on their own and let their lyrical and musical personalities shine. On Big Boi's "Speakerboxxx," the man known as the playa half (of the often-repeated and simplified Outkast "playa and the poet" moniker) leaps from his pigeonhole. Take, for example, the infectious "The Way You Move," which features Sleepy Brown channeling Sly and the Family Stone, or "GhettoMusick," which warbles between the tempo equivalents of Ecstasy and Marijuana highs.
While Big Boi is still showing his aggression and swagger, there's a thoughtfulness that permeates "Speakerboxxx" such as "Unhappy," with its hook of "cuz your happiness is done and your goose is cooked." To wit, here's a man that is strutting solo down a sidewalk in musical neighborhoods he's only driven past.
And, in "The Love Below," we expect Andre 3000 to give us the unexpected (he does), in his half of this double feature. But whereas Big Boi has produced a hip hop album, Andre escapes virtually rap-free, offering an otherworldly pop album.
Blending everything from Kraftwerk beats to Frank Black vocals to James Brown yelps on first single "Hey Ya," Andre is still miles ahead of his peers. "The Love Below" is a bumper-car ride of an album, with the Rat-Pack era "Love Hater" minutes away from synthetic booty-shaker "Spread," and "Take Off Your Cool," a duet with Norah Jones. There's even a skit that plays off Oscar Wilde and Abott and Costello.
Amid rumors that this double album signals the end of Outkast, Big Boi tries to calm the sharks. In "Tomb of the Boom," he raps, "They say, 'Big Boi, can you pull it off without your nigga Dre?'/I say, 'People, stop the madness, 'cause me and Dre be OK.'"
In fact, "Speakerboxxx/The Love Below" is a meiosis of Outkast, not a mitosis. Each half seems incomplete without the other, yet manages to showcase what makes it unique. It's yin and yang, if you will.
If this cell division bothers you (and it shouldn't), solve it by putting both halves in your CD player and hitting the shuffle button. Many fans, while adoring the group Outkast, identify more with Andre than Big Boi, or vice versa. This double album gives fans the chance to enjoy that fact, without offending the neglected half. Essentially, each album offers much to appreciate, and the balance that is Outkast remains, with no real star emerging, except for the music.
(10/14/03 12:00pm)
Most everyone has one - a favorite T-shirt. Maybe the color looks good on you, or it fits a little too well. Perhaps it's got some quote or picture on it that serves as a window to your soul (or it is just really cool). Chances are, your favorite T-shirt is worn often and is now bordering on ratty, tattered, rundown. But, you've become too attached to the thing. You're not ready to let go.
Fear not, you can save that oft worn article of clothing, and even reuse it, without dishonoring its legacy. Try one or more of these options and you and your T-shirt will have many more memories together.
Repair it. Most clothing repair involves sewing up a hole, seam or fray. In truth, unless your T-shirt was caught in some power equipment, you'll need only a foot of thread and a needle and 15 minutes of your day. If a needle and thread scare you, grab an iron and material called fusible webbing. Instead of sewing, you iron the problem shut. If even this seems too complicated, try another solution or having someone knowledgeable in the sewing arts complete the task as you both watch "Full House" reruns.
Dye it. If this tee is looking dingy or faded, all it may need is a dye job. RIT dye comes in 35 colors, and since we're talking about T-shirts, we're talking about cotton - the easiest fabric to dye. All you need is a $2 bottle of dye, hot water and your shirt, and that favorite piece of clothing will lose that bottom-of-the-hamper look in favor of an off-the-rack one, in the time it takes to do a load of laundry.
Reposition it. After years of over-use, people are giving you a sorry look and offering you money whenever you wear your tee. Holes, frays and other battle scars are showing on your T-shirt. If mending is not possible, give your shirt new life as an undershirt. It may not be able to stand on its own, but under a cardigan, polo or button-down, your favorite shirt is still visible, but its imperfections are not. Problem solved.
Get crafty. Hobby and craft stores line their walls with buttons, patches, transfers, iron-ons, borders and paints to transform your T-shirt into a totally new creation. Such items can flatter what is there or hide something that shouldn't be, and are easy to apply.
Salvage it. Think of your shirt as a car with many worthwhile parts and salvage what you can. For example, if it's long sleeves, cut it down to short sleeves. Or, if the sleeves are going, lop them off and you've got a sleeveless tee. There's also plenty of ways of altering your tee to give it a new neckline, seams, pockets, etc. - consult the nearest clothing store for inspiration.
Reuse it. Your T-shirt can enjoy a new life as a pillowcase. Turn the shirt inside out, and sew a straight line near the neckline, from arm to arm, and sew the arm holes shut too. Voila, you now have a RocaWear-like pillowcase. If you are ambitious, you can also make a drawstring bag from a T-shirt. Turn it inside out and sew the bottom and armholes closed. Get a nice piece of cord you like - as long as you want the strap to be - plus about 4 inches. Make a small incision into the neckline hem and insert the cord through it, putting more and more in until it comes full circle around the neck. Pull the cord tight, and you've just closed your new bag. For a simpler way to reuse your old favorite, cut around the picture or quote that made it so great, and sew it on to a new shirt, book bag, jacket, whatever. Frame the thing if you're really nostalgic.
If you're really sentimental, these options will prevent your lucky T-shirt into becoming a forgotten memory. And if you're broke, you'll save the cost of a new tee - in fact, these steps require little to no money. And of course, that venerable institution that is the favorite T-shirt will live to see another day.
(09/23/03 12:00pm)
Parking continues to be a problem on campus, especially for commuters whose have fewer spaces due to construction.
Previously, students with Lot 6 parking decals were allowed to park in Lots 6, 6A and 6B. Resident students with Lot 9 decals were directed to park in Lot 9 and in the gravel lot between Lots 8 and 9, designated Lot 9A.
However, according to College officials, construction workers need a place for materials.
As a result, parking assignments changed again on Sept. 8.
Since then, no student vehicles are allowed to park in 9A, and resident students with Lot 6 decals are only permitted to park in Lots 6A and 6B. Lot 6 will now be designated as solely for commuters.
Designated commuter parking areas now include Lots 3, 4, 5 and 15 with overflow commuter parking in Lots 6, 6A, 6B and 18. Several spaces in Lots 4 and 5 have also been closed, and Lot 6 is "partially closed indefinitely" due to construction according to the College's Web page.
With both resident and commuter students permitted to park in lots 6A and 6B, commuter parking is a big problem.
"It's really crazy," said Melissa Lutak, vice president of Recruitment and Retention for the Off-Campus Student Organization (OCSO), said.
OCSO is dissatisfied with the commuter parking shortage caused by campus construction, she said.
In the spring, OCSO completed a survey of 118 of the College's approximately 3,400 commuters, which showed that parking is the students' main concern.
According to Lutak, those concerns intensified during this construction period. She said that there were roughly 3,000 parking decals issued for the 1,500 parking spaces during the last academic year.
"Just the fact that there are less spots than students is a problem," Lutak said.
Lots 5, 6, 6A and 6B are affected most by construction, and about 25 percent of the spots - mainly those adjacent to athletic fields - are closed.
According to Pete Mills, capital planning executive and president of the Trenton State Corporation, construction on a new parking deck is the main reason for the closure of parking lots.
The College is undergoing a complete renovation, Mills said.
According to the master plan, a new garage by Travers/Wolfe will open on schedule with space for 342 cars.
The new parking deck located near Travers and Wolfe is designed to offer more parking spaces to commuters, according to Lutak.
Yet, despite reports that the deck will be completed in December, Lutak is pessimistic because it appears that no work has been done on the deck during the summer.
Getting to class on time remains a major problem for commuters. Many leave their homes half an hour to an hour before their classes to find parking spaces, according to Lutak.
Inclement weather lengthens these commutes, increasing the difficulty of finding a parking spot. The hours between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. are the busiest on campus, adding to parking difficulties.
OCSO works on the parking problem year after year in hopes of improving the situation.
"We try to come up with more solutions to help (commuter) students," Lutak said. According to Lutak, the members of OSCO may raffle off a parking space in the closest available lot to a commuter in the future.
Info from: construction.intrasun.tcnj.edu /layout_pages/alertspage.htm.
(04/29/03 12:00pm)
SFB granted the first conference request from next year's operating budget last week, giving $7,586 of the requested $12,315 to Future Business Leaders - Phi Beta Lambda (PBL).
The annual National Leadership Conference, will be held late June in Dallas, Tex.
PBL applied to send 20 students to the conference. SFB lowered the amount to $9,315 after cutting the costs for one graduating senior.
Jared Bruenig, SFB director of communications, said SFB is not in the habit of sending so many people to the same conference.
"I think this might be one of those rare occasions when it's O.K. to send this many," Bruenig said.
At past conferences, the College's PBL chapter took home awards.
"Sending them does enhance the reputation of the school," Bruenig said, "but if we send four or five students, it defeats the purpose and is more for their personal gain, not the glory of the school."
SFB also broke from its tradition of not funding honor societies when it gave Alpha Psi Omega (APO), the theater honor sociey, $100 for guest speakers.
"We normally don't hear requests from honor societies or other exclusive clubs because such groups aren't open to all students," Craig Gross, SFB chairperson, said.
But since APO is open to all students, the board heard its request, and granted funds unanimously.
The board also approved an $810 request for Men's and Women's Rugby Senior Day, which includes food, prizes, a disc jockey and an alumni game.
SFB granted the requested total, provided that the prizes' raffles were free and open only to students.
After Gross told rugby representatives of the stipulation, the teams decided to withdraw its request for prize money, freeing itself to charge anyone for raffle tickets.
Without the $160 for prize money, the May 3 event's final funding is $650.
The Inter-Greek Council members received $880 for Greek Pride Week events. Members will spend $710 for food for a weekend barbecue.
A request left over from a previous meeting returned after Club Volleyball revised it.
SFB gave Club Volleyball $540, voting 9-0-0.
The original request to have a charity concert at the Rathskellar linked Student Activity Funds with a charity in ways the SFB could not approve, and the club had revised that in its new request.
(04/22/03 12:00pm)
TCNJ Crew Club will spend the next week without a budget, as SFB investigates whether it can give a student organization funding for Recreation Center equipment.
The new club asked the board to approve a $1,766 budget, the bulk of which would cover the cost of two rowing machines.
Crew team members said they had permission to house the equipment in the Recreation Center as long as they shared the machines with non-team members during scheduled times.
SFB was unsure of whether it had jurisdiction over the purchase of rec center equipment.
Chairperson-elect Craig Gross asked the board to hold off on voting as a result.
The board approved requests totaling more than $16,000 from the Student Activity Fund last week.
That total included $6,173 for the Student Government Association's 24-Hour student center.
Here, students will be able to get free massages and food as a relief from a stressful week of preparing for finals.
SFB also discussed another event proposal from Union Latina (UL).
UL received over $10,000 this semester for programs such as Jaime-Lynn Sigler's guest lecture and this week's Fat Joe and the Terror Squad concert.
After debate, SFB, with a vote of 12-1-0, awarded the club $9,175 for a comedy show.
This show will feature Pablo Francisco, who appeared on Comedy Central and tours the country.
"It seems every week UL comes up with a good idea, and we just give them thousands of dollars for it," said Kate Pezzimenti, SFB representative-at-large, said.
Other members said UL is using its money for the benefit of many.
"They have had good turnouts," Janelle Williams, SFB assistant chair, said. "And it's not like we don't have confidence in what they're doing," she added.
Other members saw no problem in giving UL money for the program.
"Their programs have been standing-room only," Jared Breunig, sophomore representative, said.
SFB also voted 10-2-1 to provide Synergy, a dance troupe at the College, with the chance to charge non-students entry to its April 27 performance.
The money Synergy raised from ticket sales will pay for costumes.
(03/25/03 12:00pm)
The Irish-American Club's weeklong observance of St. Patrick's Day was both a serious study of Irish culture and a light-hearted celebration of it, club officers said.
Beginning March 17 with a lecture on Irish stereotypes and ending Thursday with a performance from an Irish-American modern rock band, the week provided some well-rounded programming, Robert Hedden, president of the Irish American Club, said.
"We're really excited about these events and proud to put them on," Hedden said.
James Mullin, president of the Irish Famine Curriculum Committee and Education Fund, lectured on anti-Irish racism and how the Irish as well as Africans and other ethnicities were made into racist stereotypes.
Hedden said that people of all backgrounds must unite to stop racism and prejudices.
"It's not just certain ethnicities that are stereotype," he said, "but the Irish, too."
Mullin, a N.J. resident, helped develop guidelines for ways of teaching the Irish Famine, from which millions died of starvation or fled Ireland from 1845 to 1852.
The famine was a direct result of harsh British policies against Irish peoples, Mullin said.
The topic is pertinent to the Irish and also non-Irish, Mullin said, because it teaches of isolation, prejudice, discrimination, eviction, starvation and how "man's inhumanity to man" still make "countless thousands mourn."
The N.J. Commission on Holocaust Education approved Mullin's curriculum for secondary-education students, and the president lectures regularly on the subject.
During the guest lecture, participants were offered traditional Irish food and drink.
The Irish-American Club's second event was supposed to be held March 19, but will be rescheduled due to a publicizing error. The program also focused on the plight of the Irish, with a viewing of "Zombie," a music video of the alternative rock band The Cranberries.
The song was a mid-1990s hit, and the video depicts violence in Northern Ireland, specifically a car bombing which kills a boy.
The final event was a performance at the Rathskellar by Black 47, an Irish-American rock band formed in New York in 1990.
The group scored critical praise and gained a large following from its debut album, "Fires of Freedom," produced by Ric Ocasek, and its single, "Funky Ceili."
The performance, which was co-sponsored by the College Union Board, featured songs from the debut as well as the following albums, "Home of the Brave" and "Green Suede Shoes."
The group, which plans a tour of Ireland in November, is named after the worst year of the Irish Potato Famine, 1947.
Black 47 blends traditional Irish music with catchy pop-rock, and sings mostly about Irish political issues.
Also, as part of St. Patrick's Day, The Rat offered green beer and Irish drink specials.
(03/18/03 12:00pm)
Nearly 100 percent of funds requested this week were granted, in a change of pace from previous weeks when the board cut proposals by more than half.
Members unanimously voted to give the Student Government Association (SGA) $39,390 to help fund Senior Week, a three-day celebration that follows graduation and is open to the senior class.
SGA senior class representatives said they were surprised at the number of seniors who signed up this year, about 50 percent of the entire class.
Senior class President Karen Martin said the increased enrollment coupled with a focus on more security and non-alcoholic events made this year's celebration more costly than last year.
The total cost of Senior Week, according to the SGA application, is $109,809.
After the $39,390 provided by the board each participating senior pays $125 admission, which funds most of the itinerary, including a dance and a trip to Great Adventure theme park.
Another application was for Weekend Enhancement Funds, which are specifically for weekend events held on-campus.
TCNJ Swing, a student club devoted to swing dancing, asked the SFB to fund $1,213 of the price for a swing dance.
The casual event, which would be the first TCNJ Swing dance in two years, will include dance lessons and light refreshments.
After debating the portion of the club's application for publicity costs, SFB decided $300 for publicity was still reasonable and approved it without amendments, 11-1-0.
SFB also approved 100 percent of the Irish American Club's request for Special Appropriations funds for a string of St. Patrick's Day events this week.
The Irish American Club held a Monday seminar on Irish stereotypes, with James Mullin, president of the Irish Famine Curriculum Committee.
Monday, a viewing of "Zombie," a hit song in the 1990s by The Cranberries, was held in the Social Science Building from 2 - 3 p.m.
IA will discussed the song's imagery, depicting a car bombing in Northern Ireland, which killed a civilian boy.
As the final event in the club's St. Patrick's celebration, the Irish American Club and the College Union Board co-sponsored a performance by the Irish rock band Black 47, at 5 p.m. on Tuesday at the Rathskellar.
SFB unanimously approved IA request for $1,005 of Special Appropriations funds, after little debate and much praise.
"I think we should really, really support any type of cultural week," Oriana Nadraga, director of External Relations, said.
(03/04/03 12:00pm)
While SFB waffled on how many participants of Union Latina should be sent to a conference, the motion to send eight people for $6,752 won out 11-3-0.
After debating how many students may reasonably attend the same conference, SFB approved $6,732 to help send eight participants to a week-long race and ethnicity seminar.
Union Latina submitted the proposal in order to attend the 16th annual National Conference on Race and Ethnicity in American Higher Education on May 27-31, in San Francisco.
The application that included 17 participants - two of whom will have graduated before the conference - registration, transportation and related expenses for those students would cost $17,473.
The group asked SFB to approve $15,195 of that cost, saying the participants would make up the remainder out of pocket.
"This is the first time the College opened it up to students," Mike Cilia, Student Government Association vice-president of administration of finance, said. "But the numbers and price are too controversial."
SFB decided to cut the list of participants down, on the grounds that no more than two members from each club on the application should attend.
"If you look at the conference schedule, no more than five workshops are happening at one time, so why do you need 12 people?" Jared Bruening, SFB sophomore representative, asked.
SFB members agreed that the conference could prove very influential on student clubs' future programs.
"I'm a huge fan of multicultural programs, and this has the potential to be very beneficial," Melissa Markowitz, senior representative, said. "Particularly since (the conference) is not geared to one ethnic group."
The event includes such workshops as "managing and preventing incidents of racial and ethnic conflict on campus."
SFB also voted on Men's and Women's Volleyball, in separate requests to attend the same national tournament, April 9-13 in Ohio. The Women's Club requested $4,610, and SFB approved $3,771 after increasing each attendee's personal contributions to $60.
Of the request, SFB approved $2,892.
The two groups had differing monetary amounts because the men's group diverted $1,100 toward the cost by using money approved on tournaments that were since cancelled.
Kate Pezzimenti, SFB representative at large, said the women secured cheaper airfare than the men did. Pezzimenti added that the members could also drive the eight hours to Ohio.
SFB decided to reimburse one student $175 for her conference's registration, but not transportation costs.
Rachel Holden, a senior and member of the Jewish Student Union, has attended the Koach Kallah conference three times, but SFB said her request was reasonable and approved it.
(02/18/03 12:00pm)
After debate over the personal contributions of several conference requests, SFB approved a total of $5,512 in student trips.
SFB passed three such applications with $1,404 for the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), $2,654 for the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) and $1,454 for the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME).
On each application, SFB amended the money each traveler would pay to attend the respective conferences.
NSBE will send seven students on March 19 through 23 to the 26th Annual National NSBE Conference in Anaheim, Calif.
The event will serve as a chance to network and develop leadership skills, club members said.
The club planned to pay for a portion of the $3,328 total cost by having each attendee pay $275, an amount SFB said was too high.
"No student should have to contribute that much," Craig Ross, SFB director of communications, said.
"Even $150 is a lot," Janelle Williams, SFB Assistant Chairperson, said.
NSBE members said they plan to recoup those moneys through fundraising, particularly through a party the group will help sponsor on Feb. 22, with DJ Ice spinning.
The party begins 9 p.m. in the student center and will have a $5 admission.
SAE will send 15 students to the SAE National Mini-Baja East Competition, April 4 through 6 in Orlando, Fla.
At the conference, the College's SAE chapter will compete against other institutions in events that include the building of an automobile.
In previous years, the College beat out Lehigh and Villanova universities, among others, to win second place.
SFB members said SAE's application for the trip should have included a higher personal contribution from each member. SAE estimated the trip's total cost at $4,153.
The personal contribution rose to $100 per attendee, SFB ruled, because the $10 the group requested was too low.
"This goes back to the NSBE issue," Ross said.
"We have one group paying $275 and another paying ten? I think the personal contribution in this case should be higher," Ross added.
ASME will send 15 students to a conference and competition called the Solar Splash Regatta from June 18 to 23 in Buffalo, N.Y.
While there, the students will enter their solar-powered boat in a race.
The group requested $1,754, but only $1,454 was approved. SFB requested each attendee contribute $20.
Members from all three groups said they were happy with the SFB funding they received.