The U.S. Military Veterans of Columbia annual ball has been postponed indefinitely, after the General Studies Student Council voted against funding the event last week.
Jacqueline Thong, GSSC president, said that 12 people voted against funding the ball, and only eight in favor, because the council received a tighter budget this year and could not afford the $14,911 the MilVets requested. “This year, they wanted to increase the scale of the event, basically recognizing that there’s lots of veterans that go to GS but also an opportunity for GS students to interact with veterans and basically celebrate Veterans Day,” Thong said. “I think the event was voted down because of the cost and a very lean budget. We had a much smaller budget this year.”
The MilVets group had originally planned to host the ball, which was in honor of Veteran’s Day, without financial assistance from GSSC. However, after plans to expand the event, including a move from Casa Italiana, where it was held last year, to the Rotunda in Low Library, brought the event above budget, the group approached GSSC to seek funding.
Helen Shor, the event planning chair for MilVets, was told twice that GSSC’s Students Event Committee would present before the council in her place, after SEC had offered to take over planning of the event.
Dan Lagana, GS and MilVets president, wrote in a statement on Monday on behalf of the MilVets that a presentation given by them would have helped to address the concerns of council members.
“Despite the previously mentioned circumstances, we had no reason to doubt their intentions, and had we presented I believe we could have adequately addressed the concerns raised by other council members,” Lagana wrote. “Needless to say, we were dismayed when we discovered the committee we had entrusted to help plan and organize the ball also voted against it.”
According to Thong, the concerns brought up by council members were the cost, the similarity of the sit-down dinner format to the gala, the possibility of low ticket sales, and the allocation of a large amount of money to veterans relative to other groups.
“I think the concern goes back to being fiscally responsible,” Thong said. “If we are spending this much money on the veterans, then we need to be spending a similar proportion of our budget on the other population as well. That includes the international students and JTS [Jewish Theological Seminary] students.”
Last year GSSC’s budget was $336,069, and they contributed $88,312 to the Funding at Columbia University committee, or F@CU—a committee of incoming and outgoing student council members who meet at the end of spring semester to evaluate budget request packets from Columbia’s governing boards, which distribute funds to clubs. This year their budget is $295,266 and their F@CU contribution has increased to $95,712.87, leaving the council with a 19.46 percent decrease in budget available for GSSC programming and co-sponsorships.
Ryan Robinson, GS and veteran student representative to GSSC, voted in favor of the council funding the ball and said he believes the council would have been able to do it.
“I felt that, in spite of our reduced budget, the GSSC could still responsibly allocate the funding requested for that event,” Robinson wrote. “Also, given the excellent response to last year’s Marine Corps Ball, ticket sales, in my opinion, would have been as high as proposed.”
As an alternative, Thong sent out an email to MilVets last Thursday offering to host an event that would consist of beer and finger food, at a cost of $6,000. She wrote that they would plan to fill up to capacity in Low and charge $15 per student. But Lagana said that the compromise does not take into account the significance and tone of the ball.
“Though it is a celebration, it is also a day of reflection and, in keeping with its namesake overseas, of remembrance where we honor all of those who served,” he said. “The offer does not adequately capture or reflect the meaning intended for the ball, and despite the good will and intent behind it, we cannot accept.”
Still, Lagana insists that MilVets’ problem lies not with the council at large but rather the process assumed by the council’s leadership. After they had ironed out their request with GSSC, the council did not include it in its weekly meeting agenda for three consecutive weeks, a delay that the MilVets say hurt their cause.
“We take the larger council’s concerns regarding cost, funding, and proportional allocation with respect to other demographics within the school very seriously,” he added. “Had we presented and had the ball been discussed by mid-September I believe we would have been able to adequately address many, if not all, doubts and concerns.”
Thong said that the vote was not on the agenda for three weeks because the council had not received finalized budgetary quotes for the event. “For every single event we have, we normally get three quotes if they’re above $1,000,” she said.
Despite his feelings about the outcome of the vote, Robinson praised his colleagues for their handling of the issue.
“In spite of my opinions on the matter, I feel that my fellow council members presented their concerns with a professionalism that reflected the seriousness of their post,” he said. “They debated the pros and cons objectively and, I believe, voted their conscience on behalf of the entire GS student body, veterans included.”
COMMENTS
Comments will be moderated in accordance with our comment policy