A number of student groups have already begun to discuss this year's Last Day of Classes celebration-and the role that an increased student activities fee will play in the event.
The fee, which was approved by students April 2005, was raised $7.50 per student per semester this academic year. In total, $90,000 will be collected from the increase and used to help fund LDOC.
Campus Council and Duke University Union representatives disagree, however, about whether the organizations will need to provide additional funding for the event.
President of Campus Council Jay Ganatra, a senior, said the two organizations should supplement the student activities sum with their own funds. "Once the fee went into effect, the assumption for us was that it's going to remain a collaborative event," he said.
He added that Campus Council has worked with the Union to host LDOC for the past two years.
Union President Alex Apple, a senior, said the increase in the student activities fee was designed to help reduce funding burdens on the groups and should be the primary source of financial support for LDOC.
"It creates an account for the event," Apple said. "We'll start with the amount that we have and go from there."
Last year, Campus Council and the Union put forth $80,000 toward LDOC, contributing $60,000 and $20,000, respectively, to bring Guster, Rahzel and Matt Costa to perform.
If the groups do not provide additional funding this year, there will only be a $10,000 increase in the total budget, Ganatra said, adding that this would not be a significant increase for an event of LDOC's size.
"There is no need to charge extra if we're not going to give [students] a better activity," Ganatra said.
He added that he wants a minimum of $120,000 allocated to LDOC this year, adding that Campus Council will definitely be putting in more money--up to $40,000--depending on the Union's decision.
"If [the Union] doesn't put in more money, then the question is why would it still be a Union and Campus Council event?" he said, adding that he hopes the Union will help financially because it has a bigger budget than Campus Council.
Apple said the Union contributed to LDOC in the past, knowing that an independent fund for the event would be put in place soon.
"We chipped in to get to the point where the added fee will be implemented," he said.
Ganatra said that if LDOC were funded solely by the increase in student activities fees, however, then it would be as if only the students were paying for the event.
"We promised to give students a better product," he said. "As the elected leaders we should be doing what we said."
In the past, many students have complained about the bands present at LDOC compared to those at other universities' end-of-year festivities.
If a total of $120,000 can be allocated toward LDOC, the funds will bring the celebration to a new level, Ganatra said.
"We'll be able to afford an $80,000 band," he said.
This new LDOC potentially includes "two Guster-type bands, an opener and daytime entertainment," he said. He noted that no daytime entertainment could be provided for students last year because of limited funding.
Improving the quality of LDOC might also help to make the event safer for students, Ganatra said.
"If we give them this amazing band they really want to see, it is less likely that they will get drunk," he said.
"If they really want to see it, they've got to make sure they're awake for it," Ganatra added.
The chair for the LDOC committee will be elected by mid-October, Ganatra said, adding that the funding issue needs to be settled before the committee can begin planning the event."They can't do anything unless they know how much money they can work with," Ganatra said.
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