The first presentation of the October 15 meeting of the Union Executive Board was made by a member of UPAC Concerts. The group is finding that it is more expensive than they expected to actually bring in a group that students recognize and like. Men, Women & Children wants $3,000 more than the $5,000 in UPAC Concerts original budget. The group did not request more money from the Executive Board, only that the money already in the budget be reallocated.
Among other adjustments, this gap will be covered by the $800 left over from Showcase. The rearranged budget could mean that next semester, the group just brings in a disc jockey, but they feel the memorable experience will be worth the tradeoff. The proposal was seen as “a step in the right direction” for UPAC Concerts, and the motion was approved 9-0-1.
The second presentation of the night was made by a representative from representing Abadá-Capoeira, a cultural-based Afro-Brazilian martial art, proposing that the Board waive the 5 percent cap on non-RPI membership. The group is $500 short of their budget, a gap that within five to 10 non-RPI members could close.
The group argued that if the group at RPI opens to more members, it will be a unique offering in the area and hopefully attract members from the surrounding community and nearby colleges, who would pay more than RPI students, helping to cover the cost of each lesson: $300 per each of 13 two hours long classes. The Board discussed that adjusting the cap on membership was not precedent-setting, nor would it impede Abadá-Capoeira’s purpose to serve RPI students. The motion to increase the cap to 25 percent was passed 10-0-0.
In addition to these issues the E-Board tackled, Virginia Hickox ’12 was appointed as the Class of 2012 representative for the E-Board and later confirmed by the Seante. The Board was also divided into three committees: the Budgeting Committee, Constitution Committee, and the Correspondence Committee. The Budgeting Committee will be charged with revising and updating the Union’s financial policies, while the Constitution and Correspondence Committees will be more involved in communication. The committees will be composed of both E-Board and non-board members.
