During the 2003-04 school year, University students requested a total of $46,608 for various independent student arts projects -- over six times more than the Independent Student Arts Project Fund could allocate with its $7,500 budget.
The fund received a boost last night when Student Council voted to make Council's contribution to the fund permanent by making the allocation part of the Council bylaws.
"The fund is important because it is a tangible way for Student Council to help the student body," said College Rep. Tom Gibson, who sponsored the bill with President Noah Sullivan and College Rep. John Yandziak. "This will help students express their creativity in a way that benefits the University community."
Last year, $5,000 of the fund came as a gift from the University's administration, while the remaining $2,500 came from Council's contribution.
The amendment stipulates that Council's executive board will allocate $3,000 annually from its non-Student Activities Fee funds and can adjust the amount as it sees fit.
Council's discretionary funds come from gifts from the bookstore, the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs and other sources.
"The only way for the fund to really be productive is for it to be renewed every year," said Rebecca Menges, who coordinated the arts project last year. "It is very difficult to continually strengthen an endeavor like this if you do not have a reliable base of funds."
A number of representative body members were concerned about the change.
"This is trying to make an appropriations issue permanent through the bylaws," said Gavin Reddick, a representative from the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. "In its current form, the legislation is undemocratic. We should discuss a better solution."
Vice President for Administration Greg Jackson also expressed concern.
"You tie the hands of future executive boards when you amend the bylaws like this," Jackson said. "Not that I don't agree with the principles behind it, but I just think it could get Council in trouble later."
Sullivan assured the representative body that the amendment to the bylaws was necessary.
"We've got tons of discretionary funds -- $3,000 can go to the arts," he said. "Creating an entity without giving it permanent funding is like creating an unfunded mandate. That's just irresponsible."
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