SAC funding proposal slashes many budgets

The Student Activities Council has about $100,000 less to dole out to student organizations for the next academic year, possibly leaving many arts groups without University funding. SAC groups had submitted the largest request total in history -- around $750,000 -- SAC Finance Chairperson Michael Graves said. But total SAC funding will decrease from $492,000 to $385,000, excluding a modest contingency fund. Graves added that virtually all activities will be forced to cut back an average of 40 percent. "I guess the main focus this year is that we were getting less money," Graves said, explaining the committee's decision. "We were anticipating getting $100,000 less than this year. [The deficit] was hovering like an angel of death." Expenses from the Class Boards and the Social Planning and Events Committee have also cut into the amount of money given to SAC -- which is funded from what is left after the Undergraduate Assembly allocates its budget, SAC financial administrator Lynn Moller said. Performance and a cappella groups were the hardest hit according to recommendations posted by the SAC Finance Committee. A number of those groups would receive no money from the SAC budget, which is funded by part of students' General Fee. Before the plan goes into effect, it must be approved by the full SAC body. Many groups requested thousands of dollars but were rejected in SAC Finance's proposal. Counterparts, Quadramics and Bloomers all asked for more than $4,000, but it was recommended that all three receive no funding. SAC Finance Committee member Scott Goldberg said that after a review of groups' budgets, the committee found that many groups were financially secure without SAC funding and were using those funds for extraneous costs. "Quadramics is a group that claims to need $12,000," Wharton junior Goldberg said. "But out of revenues that they should be applying to their shows, they funded first-night parties." Moller said SAC Finance has been looking to review the budgets for quite some time. "The past two years they have been looking and they don't want to fund group trips to the Bahamas," Moller said. And Graves said performing groups which often report a profit will have to make some sacrifices. "Most groups recognize that it's not a specific targeting of any one group," the Wharton sophomore said. "It's general groups that were cut, and there were very few where we were able to increase." Penn Dance treasurer Kim Siegal said she was surprised by the committee's recommendation that her group receive nothing. "We've always gotten money and its never been an issue," said College freshman Siegal. "We've been a strong organization on campus for a long time."

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