Two campus groups get FEB status
By Jordan Funderburk, staff writer
Posted on November 9, 2006

Heated debated ensued during SGA’s meeting Tuesday night when two local organizations, both involved in promoting equality on campus, vied for Front End Budgeting in order to have the funds necessary next year for events. In the end, both Madison Equality and the local NAACP chapter were granted FEB status.

While still a small organization, Madison Equality was able to garner enough support in order to receive funding. By the end of the presentation, nearly all the senators wished to grant FEB status to Madison Equality for the first time.

The main reason for the decision was its previous lack of financial support.

“We are an organization that does not have an umbrella organization — a national organization that can help us out,” senior R.J. DeSmedt, Madison Equality co-president, said.

 Approval of FEB status for the NAACP did not go nearly as well. Opponents to reissuing the organization FEB status mainly cited lackluster performance compared to other FEB programs and their ability to obtain funding by other means.

Supporters of NAACP’s status argued that these funds were not guaranteed and also tried to note the similarity of the NAACP’s mission statement to their own.

“Our mission statements are almost identical,” Sen. Dan Stana (So.) said. “If we take funding away from a program like this, maybe we should take funding away from ourselves.”

Further controversy erupted when a vote for an executive decision nearly passed. This would have closed the doors in the SGA chambers to the many supporters who showed supporting the NAACP, and instead made confidential who voted for and against taking away their funding.

The JMU chapter of the NAACP ended up retaining FEB status with a vote of 51-8.

“This funding allows us to create and facilitate programs to reach this goal,” senior Jerrine Lee, JMU’s NAACP president, said. “We hope to bring unity and peace to everyone, both on campus and in the greater community.”

Following the debate and final decisions, SGA had 10 constitutional amendments proposed. Along with these amendments — which will be voted upon in a few weeks — eight organizations around campus have requested program grants for yearly funding, with seven receiving recommendations.