Senate hosts short-notice forum

A public forum on Monday, called on short notice and designed to garner student input on whether to fund a Christian concert sponsored by two Christian-based clubs, saw only a few students questioning the concert, nine members of one of the clubs defending it, and some student senators feeling as if they had no choice but to approve the request.

The forum addressed a request of $5,500 from Chi Alpha and Revive, after the two groups teamed up and signed a contract this summer with four Christian bands to appear on campus on Oct. 14.

Students were notified of the 3 p.m., Monday forum via email, time-stamped at 10:12 a.m., Monday, sent from Student Senate President Katrina Hurley.

The two clubs’ request was first presented to the Senate at its Sept. 21 meeting where a vote on the proposal was postponed until its 5 p.m. meeting Monday, just two hours after the forum.

About three hours after the forum, Senate approved the allocation, 16-0, as its last order of business during its regular 5 p.m., Monday meeting. The vote also recorded three abstentions and one senator absent.

However, during the forum there were still questions, particularly the issue of the clubs’ signing the contract in summer, a move that proved unsettling to some senators.

“You put Senate in a position where we almost feel like we have to allocate the money,” Student Senate Vice President of Finance Nathaniel Jones said. “Otherwise you guys aren’t going to operate the rest of the year. Essentially you haven’t really given us the opportunity to make a fair, well-thought-out decision, and put us in a tough spot where we feel forced to allocate money.”

With Student Senate adviser Susan Schaeffer looking on, one of the five lay students along with the three Senate executive board members, questioned Chi Alpha officers and members about the process of bringing the concert to campus. There were five senators present, including Nathaniel Brown, who also serves as Chi Alpha’s CAB representative.

The main question was why the contract with the bands was signed before Chi Alpha and Revive requested funding from Senate.

Chi Alpha representatives said they consulted CSC’s Conferencing Coordinator Shellie Johns about booking the musicians because she possesses the appropriate knowledge and experience. They said they signed the contract early because they wanted to ensure the bands would be booked here for fall. They said if they had waited, they might have lost the bands until spring, which would then force them to schedule around Galaxy Series performers.

Michael Hall, senior of Broadwater, asked how much the concert cost. Chi Alpha members said the total was $9,000, and that their club and Revive pooled together $3,500 as a deposit.

Following spring’s annual budget hearings, Student Senate approved $8,400 for Chi Alpha and $3,800 for Revive. The two clubs, like most clubs on campus, made requests for annual funding from the Campus Activity Fee Board, which in turn made recommendations to the Senate.

Of the $3,500 deposit, Chi Alpha put up $2,500, Revive, $1,000. After the deposit, and if neither group has spent any more of their respective allocations, Chi Alpha has an estimated $5,900 remaining in its account, Revive $2,800. It was unclear by deadline Wednesday the exact amount remaining in the clubs’ accounts.

The Chadron State College Student Association Constitution bylaws state, “Affiliated student organizations that have exhausted previously allocated funds may submit additional event-funding requests to CAB.”

Coy Clark, chief justice, said he would not review Senate’s action unless someone or some group files a valid petition questioning the allocation. To be valid, Senate’s website states, a petition must be signed by three senators or 10 members of the student body.

Chi Alpha members said at the forum that they expect about 700 people­—students and the general public—will attend the concert, which is free.

On Monday, Chi Alpha’s Brown said Johns advised the group that it would be more of a headache to charge the public but not students. Brown added, also on Monday, that fundraising was not allowed. However, at CAB’s Tuesday meeting, Jon Hansen, vice president of enrollment management, marketing and student services, said the two groups could raise funds, but would have to follow all state and federal tax codes.

On the heels of that information, Brown said Wednesday afternoon, the two groups will ask for free-will donations at the door and sell water during the concert.

“Any money made off the event will be put back into the Student Senate Activity Fee,” he said.

Representatives also said they are using the concert to recruit potential students to CSC. They also said that there have been big name country singers on campus and other big concerts, and this concert will appeal to a different demographic.