Student Senate will help fund the Drake Choir International Tour, but not all senators agree.
With a vote of 10 for, seven against and three abstentions, the motion to allocate $8,000 towards the trip carried.
The international tour happens every four years and is paid for largely by donors, students and fundraising events.
However, this year the economy and the Distinctly Drake campaign have reduced donations, according to Sen. Kayleigh Koester. Koester is also a member of the Drake Choir.
“To not fund this would be to leave this organization in its most dire time,” Koester said. “We’ve asked the university for money, and it’s just not there.”
Sen. Adam Lutz clarified that Drake Choir is not an approved student organization.
“I view it as a class,” Lutz said, since students receive credit for participating. “I also question why they keep trying to do such an unsustainable event every four years.”
Treasurer Zach Keller noted that in order to send a message of sustainability, the Student Fees Allocation committee only recommended allocating $8,000 of the original $15,000 that Drake Choir requested.
“I think the Drake Choir has done a really good job of fundraising and finding alternative ways of raising money,” said Sen. Sumit Sen. “For the time being, with the amount of work Drake Choir has put in, I think it’s fair.”
Student Senate also passed a funding allocation of $499.99 for the Men’s Club Volleyball Team to travel and compete in the Kansas State Crossover Tournament.
Two new student organizations were also approved in Thursday’s session. Special Olympics will work with the Iowa chapter to plan events for Drake’s campus. The Student Leadership Advisory Panel is associated with the LEAD concentration in the College of Business and Public Administration, but is open for anyone to join.
Student Senate also voted unanimously to earmark $10,000 from the Student Senate Reserve into the Student Discretionary Fund.
“This will basically allow us to meet the demand for one-time funding without cutting back drastically,” Keller said. “We should be sitting in good shape.”
In officer reports, Sen. Alex Hendzel announced that applications for Diversity Interest Senator-At Large and Diversity Interest Senator would be available in the Student Life Center or from her.
The at-large senator election will coincide with Senate Executive elections, and the other position will be selected during the Diversity Interest Convention.
