2008 Woodie Awards
Video related to this article is available below.Issue date: 10/7/08 Section: News
At UA meeting, SPEC reveals $50,000 debt
Body continues push for longer move-out period; members clash over Ivy Council
Rishav Kanoria
Last Sunday's weekly meeting of the Undergraduate Assembly continued a push to get an extra day of move-out for students, among other issues.
In this week's Penn Student Government Spotlight showcase the Social Planning and Events Committee told UA members that the Concerts committee is $50,000 over its annual budget after spending $35,000 on the fall 2007 concerts and $400,000 on last year's annual Spring Fling concert, which featured Ludacris, Gym Class Heroes, and OK Go.
College senior and SPEC treasurer Andrew Shults said a large part of the cost went to renting Franklin Field, and paying for security and logistical staff.
The other Spring Fling events and planning cost $175,000.
Shults and College senior and SPEC chairwoman Michelle Jacobson said they could not disclose details about how they plan to recover the loss, but added they may apply for UA contingency funding.
The UA then debated the final version of a move-out proposal that was authored by College sophomore and UA member Alec Webley with assistance from College sophomore and UA member Grant Dubler and the Residential Advisory Board.
The proposal aims to extend the move-out deadline from 16 hours after final exams to 40 hours in order to give students more time between the last day of exams and the move-out deadline.
The issue was brought to light after a Facebook group was created in spring 2008 to express students' frustration with the deadline.
"Students were really, really angry," Webley said of the decision to pursue the change.
The proposal passed, but only after some debate over the section that included student responses to a survey about the issue that was conducted over the summer.
The UA also passed a budget request for $371 to fund travel expenses of representatives attending next week's Ivy Council colloquium at Columbia University. Ivy Council is a body that brings together students leaders from across the Ivy League.
Though the money was awarded, members debated whether the UA should fund a conference that is not officially aligned with student government.
The UA also amended its bylaws in a proposal that had been put off for several weeks.
"This proposal makes the UA more democratic, accountable and fair. It is one step on our journey to become a true Assembly for undergraduates," wrote Webley, who worked extensively on this proposal, in an e-mail.
Finally, the UA elected Wharton freshman Triston Francis as its representative to the Ivy Council and College junior Lucia Liu as its representative to the University's committee on Tangible Change.
In this week's Penn Student Government Spotlight showcase the Social Planning and Events Committee told UA members that the Concerts committee is $50,000 over its annual budget after spending $35,000 on the fall 2007 concerts and $400,000 on last year's annual Spring Fling concert, which featured Ludacris, Gym Class Heroes, and OK Go.
College senior and SPEC treasurer Andrew Shults said a large part of the cost went to renting Franklin Field, and paying for security and logistical staff.
The other Spring Fling events and planning cost $175,000.
Shults and College senior and SPEC chairwoman Michelle Jacobson said they could not disclose details about how they plan to recover the loss, but added they may apply for UA contingency funding.
The UA then debated the final version of a move-out proposal that was authored by College sophomore and UA member Alec Webley with assistance from College sophomore and UA member Grant Dubler and the Residential Advisory Board.
The proposal aims to extend the move-out deadline from 16 hours after final exams to 40 hours in order to give students more time between the last day of exams and the move-out deadline.
The issue was brought to light after a Facebook group was created in spring 2008 to express students' frustration with the deadline.
"Students were really, really angry," Webley said of the decision to pursue the change.
The proposal passed, but only after some debate over the section that included student responses to a survey about the issue that was conducted over the summer.
The UA also passed a budget request for $371 to fund travel expenses of representatives attending next week's Ivy Council colloquium at Columbia University. Ivy Council is a body that brings together students leaders from across the Ivy League.
Though the money was awarded, members debated whether the UA should fund a conference that is not officially aligned with student government.
The UA also amended its bylaws in a proposal that had been put off for several weeks.
"This proposal makes the UA more democratic, accountable and fair. It is one step on our journey to become a true Assembly for undergraduates," wrote Webley, who worked extensively on this proposal, in an e-mail.
Finally, the UA elected Wharton freshman Triston Francis as its representative to the Ivy Council and College junior Lucia Liu as its representative to the University's committee on Tangible Change.
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