Senate slashes Music budgets

After three failed motions and a lengthy debate, Senate voted 10-6 to allocate AFB’s recommended 2019-2020 budgets of $600 for Band and $350 for Choir, a significant cut from their $4,360 and $2,150 respective requests.

Because of cloudiness surrounding board policies on academic clubs and student organizations, Senate decided that funding sheet music, the focus of the cuts, fell into course fees rather than student activity fees. Senator and AFB member Kristina McGann, senior of Broken Bow, said AFB felt that because Band and Choir requires members to enroll in a class to participate, sheet music was akin to textbooks.

“We felt that sheet music was similar to a textbook as it’s used in a class setting. In order to complete classwork people pay to take the course, and we felt that it was similar to paying for a textbook,” McGann said.

Senator Elizabeth Rotherham, junior of Balfour, North Dakota, countered McGann by arguing between personal and public use of textbooks and sheet music.

“I think we need to (remind) ourselves that a textbook is for personal use,” Rotherham said. “I think Band and Choir offer something to this campus that we need to consider too.”

The $600 Band allocation covers $300 for uniforms and $300 in equipment, while Choir’s $350 covers tuxes and dress clothing. According to Senator-elect and Choir member Kaylee Garvin, sophomore of Crawford, cutting sheet music funding leaves a hard-to-fill gap in the club’s budget.

“Sheet music is essential to music, of course,” Garvin said.

Adviser Megan Northrup read a letter on behalf of Associate Professor of Music John Wojcik, explaining sheet music’s role in preparing Band members for CSC’s public performances.

“Part of the reason for Band using it (sheet music) in class (is because it) increases their knowledge and skill set to be able to perform these concerts. It enables rehearsals year round with those rehearsals accumulating with multiple public performances. Some of that is student-centered with student leadership and is an essential part of (their) success,” Northrup read. 

Though Band and Choir’s club standings sparked concerns relating to policy 4050, Northrup encouraged Senate to keep to its current role.

“You are just functioning as you always function,” Northrup said. “It does not mean that anything changes, it’s just the option that is there, and the deans have said ‘no,’ because they do not have the money to fund these clubs. That would be doing a disservice to the clubs.”

In total for the year, AFB reported CAB has spent $75,394.57 of its allocated $135,039.42, leaving $59,644.85 unspent. For Senate, $57,836.77 has been allocated from its projected $64,868.58 budget.

Chief Justice Samantha Merrill, senior of Oral, South Dakota, swore in 14 senators and four CAB vice chairs to complete the 2019-2020 student government elections. Elected members are as follows:

President: Lukas Klueber, junior of Rapid City, South Dakota

Vice President: Konery Klueber, junior of Rapid City

Chief Justice: Elizabeth Rotherham, junior of Balfour

Vice Chair of Finance: Lily Umeta, sophomore of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Secretary: Caitlin Hueftle, freshman of North Platte

Senators-at-large: Ryan Arab, sophomore of Long Island, New York, Jennifer Campos, sophomore of Alliance, Leah Guerrero, sophomore of Evans, Colorado, Cody Cooper, graduate student of Gothenburg, and Sadie Sheppard, junior of Fargo, North Dakota

PSAS School Senators: Choana Radtke, junior of Sidney, and Samantha Rahmig, senior of Gering

BMS School Senators: Abigail Klammer, freshman of Juanita, Feven Hailemariam, sophomore of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and Natnael Tadesse, junior of Chadron

CAB Chair: Travis Mills, senior of Rapid City

Vice Chair of Records: Christopher Wright, junior of Alliance

Vice Chair of Relations: Kaylee Garvin, sophomore of Crawford

Vice Chair of Finance: Jacob Muir, sophomore of Driggs, Idaho

Senate unanimously passed a $50,000 allocation for a spring 2020 concert after talking price points and funding options. Although $50,000 is pre-emptively allocated, President Klueber reminded Senate of the need to find other funding sources.

“I think that fully funding it for ourselves is not going to work, so I think we have to reach out,” Klueber said. “We can put the money upfront, but we need to do some work to get other areas involved too, and that also brings people into this concert.”

The student majority voted for a country artist, but Senate has yet to make a pick. 

Michaela Hill, junior of Douglas, Wyoming, and Josie Semroska, junior of Chadron, presented the library’s plans for a food pantry starting this fall and asked for Senate’s help to partially fund the initiative. Headed by Outreach Services Librarian Shawn Hartman, the food pantry plans on offering healthy food free to those in need. According to Hill, roughly 22 percent of CSC’s student population struggle with food insecurity, warranting the need for an on-campus pantry.

Senate voted to allocate $500 out of the requested $1,000 for the initiative, but adviser Kurt Kinbacher urged senators to better consider the gravity of the issue.

“This is a serious issue. Kids can’t learn if they can’t eat,” Kinbacher said.

Though some were concerned with students abusing the pantry, adviser Markus Jones argued that it doesn’t “undermine the process of giving it to all the people who do (need food).”

“For years now I’ve had students who are ashamed of not being able to get food. So, even if it’s a banana, or a Clif bar, it can make the day of a student,” Jones said.  

Senate unanimously approved AFB’s recommendation of $6,109.40 for PBL’s upcoming trip to their national conference in Texas. The allocation includes expenses for registration, hotel rooms at the conference and round-trip flight seats.

Senate currently has $7,031.91 in unallocated funds.