Duke University Union representatives discussed funding for Last Day of Classes festivities and presented internal evaluations at their weekly administrative meeting Tuesday night.
LDOC Committee chairs asked the Union for $25,000 in funding for the annual celebration.
In April 2005, a $7.50 increase in the student activities fee per student per semester was approved to provide the LDOC Committee with $90,000 every year, but the funding from the fee increase is not enough for the planned events, said LDOC Committee Co-chair Vincent Ling, a junior.
"When you're trying to bring in two [bands], that's really not possible," he said.
Ling and Co-chair Chamindra Goonewardene, a junior, presented Union members with an estimated budget for the event, stating that the expected cost is $145,225. Approximately $100,000 is budgeted for contracting fees, and the remaining funds will be used toward production costs and marketing efforts, among other things.
Union President Katelyn Donnelly, a senior, however, was hesitant to grant the committee their request. She noted that the estimated cost for the event is $50,000 more than any Union committee is budgeted.
Donnelly said representatives should consider losing the mentality of making LDOC "bigger and better" every year because doing so would be financially infeasible.
Other representatives expressed similar concerns.
"Twenty-five thousand sounds like a lot to me-I think you can get away with a lot less," said Joe College Day Co-director Max Entman, a senior.
Executive Vice President Lauren Maisel, a junior, said she was hesitant to approve funds for LDOC because in the past many students did not connect the celebration to the Union.
"We gave money last year, we gave money the year before, but students still don't associate us with the event," she said.
At the meeting, Union members also discussed their internal administrative evaluations.
Donnelly listed cohesive advertising, creative programming and improved communications as the group's recent accomplishments. She added that DUU should act as a more united body, increase marketing and reward productive members.
She said DUU will survey the student body about the success of individual Union programs throughout the year in order to better evaluate its strengths and weaknesses.
In other business:
DUU members discussed marketing plans for a WXDU postgame event after this Saturday's men's basketball game against North Carolina Central University. The event would include disc jockeys on the Armadillo Grill patio.
Vice President of Programming Adam Nathan, a sophomore, noted concerns of possible e-mail leaks and said some people in the Union administration may be responsible for releasing sensitive information.
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