Students flooded a March 14 University Student Senate meeting to learn more about a proposal to spend up to $60,000 on a party, which is meant to foster a community relationship though some students see it as a waste of money.
The approximately 25 students — the most any senator has seen attend a meeting in recent memory — filled the third-floor University Center room after newly-elected Lang senator Patrick Gallen publicized the proposal through emails and school-related Facebook pages, urging that they come to protest the party.
He wanted to block the party, which could involve a big-name performer at a popular venue like Webster Hall, because it could cost the senate more than a third of it’s $160,000 budget which is funded by student fees, he said.
Gallen mistakenly thought the senate would vote on the proposal that day, but senators said it wasn’t docketed and tabled all discussion on the issue, opting instead to focus communication within the organization.
“I apologized for being so brash but at the same time I stand by my position to oppose the party,” he said in an interview after the meeting in which they displayed his Facebook posts about the proposal.
Senators plan to publicise their meeting agendas going forward to avoid similar confusion, they said.
But students supported his opposition to the costly event.
“I absolutely think that’s an impractical use of the money,” said Ashley Cartegna, an NSSR student. “If the point of the organization is to better serve the students then I would question how that’s really serving students.”
Senators have said that the party is meant in part to build community by having people from different divisions socializing with each other.
Another added benefit for senators would be that the high cost of the event would streamline USS proceedings by limiting the number of other proposals they can fund going forward, senators said.
Proponents for the party in the senate said they could hire a high-profile musical act and rent out Webster Hall, which would cost anywhere from $27,000 to $40,000, according to USS Co-Chair Nico Galvan.
Galvan was also inspired by a recent NYU event in which the university hired Change The Rapper to perform at the popular East Village venue.
This high cost would significantly reduce the senate’s budget for student projects, which would limit their ability to fund other things, Galvan said. They’ve already spent $94,000, he said.
“You do one of two things: one you stop funding students projects or you raise the tax,” Galvan said.
“What other solution? Or you don’t have a party,” the co-chair added.
According to Galvan, the party would be a way to foster community within divisions.
“There’s academic groups, theres activist groups, theres X, Y and Z. However, overall, school community is lacking,” he said.
But some students, along with Gallen, are concerned about the high cost of the party.
“They’re going to spend so much money for this party that doesn’t really have a purpose,” Alex Miller, a first year MFA student said.
“I’m just concerned that nobody’s gonna do anything to stop it. It’s definitely a waste but this is a very wasteful school,” Miller added.
Tamar is a poet, writer, New York-lover and dweller. She studies jounalism+design at The New School.
