OrangeBand receives cash

The SGA Student Senate passed a bill allotting Orange Band $3,693.33.

This bill allows OrangeBand to purchase a projector, a video camera, spend money on two action campaigns and two banners.

The bill was first submitted two weeks ago by junior senator Lucy Hutchinson, who serves on the SGA finance committee, asking for $4,000 for various expenses. The finance committee cut out the money needed for a label maker or cassette tapes and decided to give OrangeBand $2,993.33.

"This bill had a lot cut because it was unspecified," senator sophomore Kristen Schiavone said.

OrangeBand plans to use the money to help spread its programs nationwide. "The camera is needed as a training material," said Kai Degner (’03), coordinator of the OrangeBand Initiative. "It will be used to bring the OrangeBand model to other schools."

An amendment was passed to add $700 for two banners — a large one to display in front of D-hall and a smaller one to take on action campaigns — as well as $200 for printing costs.

"The banners are a legitimate request," said junior Ryan Powell, a senator. "It will make them look more professional when they go to other schools and out on the commons for their Action Campaigns."

Junior senator Jess Misner said, "When finance got the bill, a lot of elements were not specified. They went back and assessed it and gave the committee a phenomenal spreadsheet, but the banners were not on it. We never took the banners out because they weren’t in there originally. We can’t just give lumps of money to groups, we need to know the specifics."

The Senate also passed two other bills.

The first created the position of minor elections commissioner. "So far, there have been no criteria set forth for minor elections," senator sophomore Brendan Travis said. "It’s been done arbitrarily and policy was made up as they went along. A process just doesn’t exist. This bill gives criteria for that."

The other bill added a contingency liaison section to the SGA constitution. "The reason for this bill is for the contingency portion to stand out," Travis said. "It sets requirements for that position and says what they have to do."

Two news bills were introduced, the Weapons Policy Bill of Opinion submitted by freshman senator Sara Lunsford and a request from the Black Student Alliance for money to buy a digital camera. Both bills will be sent to committees to be discussed before being debated by the Senate.