BY MARTHA MARRAZZA

In print | Published October 26, 2006

Members of Student Council and SAC are tabling in Sharples all this week to raise money for alcohol at the Halloween party, set for Saturday, Oct. 28.

Since the Halloween Party is a SAC-funded, all-campus party, organizers may not charge an entrance fee, according to Dean of Student Life Myrt Westphal. Any funding for alcohol must come from out-of-pocket sources, so party organizers worked with the administration to explore legitimate ways to solicit donations.

Before deciding to table outside Sharples, SAC and Student Council members considered a few other methods to raise money. “There are several ideas to pay for alcohol. They thought about selling wristbands or cups, but that’s not legal so those ideas were shot down,” Westphal said. “They had an idea to ask for contributions at the bar. I know Sager did tabling last year and that seemed to have worked. They felt that this is one of the ways to finance alcohol for all-school parties.”

Party organizers settled on tabling at Sharples as the best way to tap into the student body for funds, Student Council co-president Joella Fink ‘07 said. “Student Council and SAC are trying to raise money,” Fink said. "Whatever we don’t raise, we are painfully aware that we have to donate because the expectation is that there has to be alcohol [at the party]."

Westphal said tabling for alcohol was a reasonable method of fundraising. “People who have more funds can give more, and people who have less money can give less,” she said. “That way, if you don’t drink, your student activity fee isn’t paying for the alcohol of others.”

Student Activities coordinator Jenny Yim recommended tabling for donations after Sager organizers did the same thing for their party last year. “It’s not the first time [groups have tabled to raise funds for alcohol]. I mean, the reality is that SAC funds can’t fund alcohol, so we encourage alternative ways of funding alcohol,” Yim said. “It’s difficult for people to personally spend their own money on alcohol for the entire campus. So, collecting donations from anyone who is willing to contribute helps offset the costs for the hosts of providing alcohol at parties..”

SAC co-director Emily Nolte ‘07 stressed that a successful student donation drive will translate into a better Halloween party. "We chose tabling as an option. It’s an easy way for large amounts of students to help contribute to something that they would enjoy benefiting from," she said. “We know that the more money we have to spend, the better the party will be.”

Fink also noted that Student Council and SAC members are collecting money before the party because they want the actual night to be relatively hassle-free.

“We don’t want people to be walking around with money that night, and we don’t want to ask for donations at the party,” Fink said. “I think this tabling is only effective for a few really huge parties. I don’t want it to be something that happens each week, but for a party of this size that affects so much of campus, it’s a good idea to just ask everyone to give something.”

Nolte said she was unsure of how responsive students were to the solicitation thus far. “I haven’t been to Sharples yet, so I don’t know if students are being receptive. I’ve heard that many people saw tabling on Monday night and were surprised and didn’t have cash on them,” she said. “I think a lot said they would consider contributing and bring cash in the future, and we really appreciate that.”

Nate Allen ‘08 praised Student Council and SAC for trying to get students to donate this week, but said many students don’t rely on the Halloween Party for alcohol. “I think everyone is kind of not expecting very much,” he said. “There are always pre-parties going on, so I think expectations are very low.”

Westphal said she is sympathetic to groups like SAC and Student Council who have to fundraise in addition to planning the party. “lf they don’t raise enough money they will have some alcohol at the party, just not bucket loads. I think SAC and Student Council do have their work cut out for them.”

« RETURN TO NEWS

« PREV ARTICLE | NEXT ARTICLE »