During its final meeting April 22, Student Federation approved $75,722 for next year, which included expenditures for the senior class, student publications, planners, and the federation’s operating budget.
Next year’s budget includes $60,782 for student publications; $5,000 for the senior class; $3,440 for Student Federation to cover officer salaries, binders, and its end-of-the-semester dinner at Olivia’s Chop House; and $6,500 for planners for the student body.
“I’ve been a part of now four budgets for Student Federation, and that was the cleanest one I’ve ever been a part of,” Alpha Tau Omega Rep. senior Tyler Warman said.
Student Federation ended the academic year with $31,370.08 in discretionary funds remaining after spending $15,477.95.
The federation approved two proposals April 22. Kappa Kappa Gamma Rep. sophomore Maria Theisen presented the $325 proposal from the Campus Improvements committee for a wall-mounted charging station for the Grewcock Student Union that is compatible with Apple, Android, and other popular devices.
Junior Nikolai Dignoti requested $350 on behalf of the Shakespeare Society for the recent Shakespeare in the Arb performance of Macbeth. As the fight choreographer, he said the group needed to rent weapons to prevent injuries that would result in hospital trips and tetanus shots. This year, he reported, cast members only bruised each other.
Although representatives funded Shakespeare in the Arb’s request to cover renting the weapons, buying fake blood supplies, and ordering pizza for rehearsal sessions, they did not fund Mu Alpha’s $600 request for its annual pig roast held April 23.
Representatives adhered to the finance committee’s recommendation of no funding since the organization received $200 for its jazz night and currently has $6,500 on hand, though the men of Mu Alpha said they plan to use that money for house renovations.
The first club the federation approved was the Active Classical Languages Club, which will revive the tradition of learning Latin and Greek through writing, listening, and speaking, adding a dimension to learning a classical language previously unavailable to students.
When presenting ACL, President sophomore Brian Hall introduced himself as fitting two of the three stereotypes of classics students: rich, white, and male.
“You might think at first that we are really odd and weird, but actually, we’re not that weird,” he said. “We have two millennia of history and tradition on our side.”
Hall also said the club will do more than just increase the nerdiness of members: It will make learning classical languages more efficient, democratize the languages, and help train future teachers. Learning will be more natural, fun, and interactive, he said.
Meetings will occur in Latin and are open to all students interested in learning. The club said it hopes to incorporate spoken Greek once Professor of Greek Joseph Garnjobst returns from his summer immersion program in Ithaca, Greece.
The federation also approved the Outdoor Adventures Club — which freshmen Emma McCormick and Rosemary Pines, who opted for Birkenstocks and Tevas over dress shoes, presented.
The two officers said the group will provide backpacking opportunities for students who cannot afford flights home for the shorter fall and spring breaks. They said they are planning to organize backpacking trips to the Upper Peninsula and the Appalachian National Scenic Trail, respectively.
McCormick and Pines said they hope to expand to take groups cross-country skiing, canoeing, caving, climbing, and kayaking.
Although every trip will be open to all of campus, the club also will have dues and perks for members. Those who pay get free access to gear and discounted rates on trips.
After representatives discussed all of their business, former Student Fed President junior Christian Wiese swore in the new president, junior Joe Spica.
His first order of business was to use the phrase “it is the opinion of the chair” to support the $600 Olivia’s Chop House dinner Student Fed representatives have at the end of the semester. Independent Rep. sophomore Razi Lane opened up discussion of its propriety and expense during the meeting’s public comment portion.
“What Student Fed is about is service, and a dinner at Olivia’s shouldn’t be what makes it worth it,” Lane said.
He recommended finding a less expensive restaurant in the future, adding that if he wasn’t on the board, realizing representatives dined on his dime wouldn’t sit well with him or his perception of Student Fed.
“I know the board gets paid, but if the representatives were to add up all the hours, the dinner would be a fraction of that,” Student Federation adviser Anthony Manno said.
But despite the debate, the meeting ended with words of gratitude and hope for next year.
“I know that many students don’t know what we do here, and I know people that do know what we do here think that we don’t do it well, but I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished so far this year and in years past,” Warman said. “I look forward to seeing what you guys do next year.”