Funds allotted across campus

Student outreach has been one of the top priorities on Student Congress' unwritten agenda this year, Congress leaders agreed at their Tuesday meeting.

One of the ways representatives are working toward this is to be more active with University administration and be involved in major student issues.

On Sunday, members worked to ensure Congress representatives would be present at Board of Trustees meetings.

Members said they will have a better idea of which trustees will be more receptive to student opinion during the preliminary stages of tuition talks if they attend board meetings.

On Tuesday, they tackled their formal agenda. Congress allotted funding for student events on campus thought to have a potentially great impact on students at the University.

Members approved $11,550 in programming costs and $500 in printing and publicity costs to the Campus Y. The total $12,050 in student fees will fund a UNC Live 8 Concert on Sept. 30.

Participants from an array of student service organizations will be at the event, which hopes to raise awareness about poverty in Africa. The concert will be held from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m at Polk Place and is free to the public.

The money was allotted after Congress members debated the large sum.

"When you fund anything, think about whether or not students are going to go and enjoy it," said Daneen Furr, student body treasurer.

Student leaders said that although members argued about funding one event with 1/6 of the budget for the entire semester, many agreed that the number of students that could possibly stand to benefit from the event was in proportion to the proposal.

"Not many, if any student organizations could put on an event of this scope and magnitude," said Anisa Mohanty, chairwoman of the finance committee.

"We consider how much student impact factors into whether or not it should be funded," Furr said.

Congress members also approved $1,425 in printing and publicity costs to VoteCarolina, a nonpartisan student voter drive.

The funds will be used to cover printing costs for Triangle Web printing services for a municipal elections guide that will appear as an insert in The Daily Tar Heel.

Congress members allotted $4,000 in speaker fees to the State of the Union Project, a student organization which seeks to bring awareness about current issues from different ideological perspectives.

With the allotted speaker fees, SOUP will bring to campus Patrick Guerriero, president of the Log Cabin Republicans, a gay rights political group.

"I think he has a very interesting take on the debate about gay rights," said Bernard Holloway, treasurer for SOUP. "It's a different perspective on an issue we hear a lot about."

Congress also adopted a resolution allowing Student Body President appointees to work in their positions immediately, pending the approval of Congress within a 30-day period.

 

Assistant University Editor Katie Hoffman contributed to this article.

Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.