SGA continues debate on theater donation, begins debate on Rushmore Public Policy Institution
A potential $20,000 donation to a downtown Vermillion movie theater and funding requested by the Rushmore Public Policy Institution were the primary topics of discussion of Tuesday night’s Student Government Association meeting.
SGA continued discussion on Senate Resolution #5, which would authorize SGA to make a $20,000 donation to the Vermillion Downtown Cultural Association to refurbish the Twin Theaters.
The Finance Committee had questions for President Sami Zoss regarding exactly what the money would go toward and who else would be donating to the project.
However, much of the discussion had to do with the lack of student input on the resolution. Many senators feared such a large amount of money could elicit negative feedback from students.
But Zoss, a VDCA board member, was still adamant the resolution should eventually be passed.
“I like that we are finally investing in the community as the community has invested so much in us,” Zoss said. “What this donation does is show the student and university investment in Vermillion.”
The $20,000 will be coming from the Reserve Fund, which is composed of leftover General Activities Fee funds that have not been used by student organizations.
Along with a discussion on the Twin Theaters, representatives from the Rushmore Public Policy Institution came to speak on behalf of their organization and to answer questions about their budget, Senate Bill #50.
The Rushmore Public Policy Institution is developing a website that will give political science, honors and other undergraduate students a place to publish their work such as research, theses, projects, blogs and more.
Junior Dustin Santjer, who is the founder of the group, said the website will cater to Millennials and will eventually involve them more in politics.
“We are trying to take things like public forum and make it more digestible for the student body so they can stay informed and become more knowledgable on issues,” he said.
The organization is asking for $630 from SGA to help fund their website. This would include a WordPress subscription, marketing materials, premium news subscriptions and funding to protect their brand and longevity.
The SGA Finance Committee offered the organization $305 on Tuesday’s meeting, but after discussion, the bill was tabled. The committee will come up with a new sum for the Senate’s Sept. 22 meeting.
The Rushmore Public Policy representatives are hoping to get the full sum so they don’t have to return to SGA next year to ask for more money.
(Photo: Senators in SGA participate in the Students for Inclusiveness Excellence exercise which was lead by senator Madeline Molseed, as part of a new series of monthly activities to get SGA senators thinking about diversity. The activity challenged them to connect several dots using only four lines. Tatum Dean / The Volante)
