By Samuel Rubenfeld
Clubs holding formals will now have to “go dutch” with the Student Government Association.
The SGA passed a resolution Tuesday mandating that a club’s SGA funds can only be used for 50 percent of the cost of a catering hall, for 50 percent of the cost of transportation and they banned tipping staff using SGA funds altogether. SGA never allowed for clubs to use its SGA-appropriated funds for DJs, to tip staff at events held at Hofstra USA or for other entertainment costs associated with formals.
The resolution considers any end-of-semester dinner engagement held at Hofstra USA, the University Club or an off campus location as a formal.
“Student government’s desire to pay for an organization’s formals cannot be met by our fiscal realities,” said Pete DiSilvio, the SGA president. “Organizations do not exist to have formals…so this shouldn’t make anyone unhappy.”
The resolution was broken into four parts, and each passed. The senate did this because they thought this was the only way to get all of the changes passed, DiSilvio said.
“It’s unfortunate that we had to do this,” said Ashley Kowal, chair of the Student Services Committee. “We simply had to cut somewhere so we could hold other events during the semester.”
Organizations must now provide a price quote from their last formal or from the institution at which they wish to hold it as part of their annual appropriations request, codifying a requirement SGA already placed on clubs.
Students are divided over whether it was a good idea. Some students reacted negatively upon hearing the news. “It’s wrong…can’t they cut it more slowly?” asked Andreina Nunez, a sophomore who is a member of the HOLA, an organization for Latin American students.
Other club leaders thought of it as a positive. “Everyone that works hard all year deserves a formal but it shouldn’t be completely covered by SGA; it should be paid for by members,” said Jackie Finney, a senior business management major who is the president of Hofstra Concerts. “There’s already a lack of money in SGA to allot to clubs, so that money should be put towards clubs who are going to benefit the campus as a whole.”
“Clubs should be happy because this means there’s more money available for them for speakers and events,” DiSilvio added.
Should a club want to provide entertainment or refreshments for a function, the club has to have a document signed by SGA at least 10 days in advance. For food or refreshments provided by Lackmann Food Services, the club has to get the document five days in advance.
SGA also changed the way it appropriates money for clothing and uniforms for club sports and organizations. SGA used to limit spending to $250 per year on clothing. Now sports and clubs will have no cap on spending only for uniforms, provided they keep the clothing inventoried.
Also, should a club need to spend more than $250 on clothing in an academic year, the club must themselves pay first and then provide a purchase order for reimbursement. Any exceptions to the rule must come from both the chair of the Appropriations Committee and the SGA Comptroller.
“Sports clubs and performance clubs have different needs in terms of apparel,” DiSilvio said.