For the first time this semester, the Student Federation tabled a request for funding, on the basis of needing more information.
Praxis, the political economy club, submitted the request. The club’s president, Junior Andrew Koehlinger, spoke to Student Fed on Thursday, March 29, seeking funds to buy a new camera.
The federation did not immediately grant the request because it wanted to know the exact amount for the camera before it gave funding to Praxis.
Student Fed has been relatively quiet, with few debates over fiscal requests this year, said junior Esther Ashmore, the federation president.
Tabling a request is unusual.
“It’s not that we didn’t want to give him the money,” Ashmore said. “He just wasn’t clear enough.”
“Student Fed wants to attach the funds to a specific item,” Koehlinger said. “It makes a lot of sense.”
Praxis uses a video camera to record the speakers who come to campus and they upload the videos to their website, www.hillsdalepraxis.com, and their YouTube channel.
“Having our videos online is good publicity,” Koehlinger said.
Their current camera has issues with sound and quality when the videos are posted online.
“It is just not a high quality camera,” said Jake Adkins, sophomore and Praxis secretary.
Adkins, who records the videos, has begun researching cameras to bring before Student Fed. He estimates that the quality of camera Praxis needs would cost anywhere from $100 to $200, but the price is not yet finalized.
“It is very hard to work without a camera,” Adkins said. “I’ve had to use different friends’ cameras and they are not high enough quality. The club needs something better.”
Praxis receives an $8,000 grant from the Koch Foundation each year, and therefore has never asked Student Fed for money, Ashmore said.
“The grant, like many grants, has strings attached,” Koehlinger said.
The funds are only to be used for paying speakers who come to campus, unless Koch gives special permission, Koehlinger said.
