The Finance Board recommendations were distributed to student groups still awaiting funding late Monday afternoon, after a two-month delay in the deliberations.

University Union Concerts, the sponsors of Juice Jam, Ben Folds and the annual Block Party, received recommendations for less than they had requested.

‘I’m disappointed,’ said Adam Gorode, co-chair of UU Concerts. ‘Unfortunately this is going to dramatically change the caliber of the artists we can bring to the university (for Block Party).’

UU Concerts is recommended to receive about $100,000 versus about $170,000 they requested to hold this year’s Block Party. The finance board allocated $150,000 for last year’s event, which brought Wyclef Jean, Talib Kweli, Da Band and Northern State to the Carrier Dome.

‘There is a dramatic difference between $150,000 and $100,000,’ Gorode said.

In addition to the one-third decrease in allocated funds for the upcoming Block Party, UU Concerts’ three other proposals for additional concerts this semester all were returned with recommendations of zero dollars.

‘We don’t have any money for any more big concerts,’ Gorode said. ‘We intend to pursue other options.’

Sherlen Archibald, a Finance Board member and co-chair of UU Concerts, said he felt confident UU Concerts would still be able to put on a good show that would attract students despite the funding shortfall.

‘The amount of money correlates to the quality,’ he said. ‘We got less than what we asked for.’

Gorode said there are other funding options, such as applying for special programming funds.

‘We’re going to plan B,’ he said. ‘We just don’t know what plan B is yet.’

Archibald said UU Concerts will continue to work on finding acts that will bring in the most students.

‘We’ll deal with the cards we’re dealt with,’ he said.

The Students Advocating Sexual Safety and Empowerment also said they received their budget allocation Monday.

President of SASSE, Jessica Larsen, said the Finance Board recommended about $3,000 for speakers. The Student Association assembly voted down a recommendation for the same amount last semester. These funds were to bring several authors to speak on campus.

SASSE also received a recommendation of zero dollars for the self-defense workshop they planned to hold.

‘It’s just frustrating. We have to find somewhere else to get the money because (the workshop) has got to happen,’ Larsen said. ‘So many women get assaulted on this campus (and) it’s unacceptable. Women’s safety relies on (the workshop).’

Comptroller Andrew Urankar would not release all of the recommendations out of what he said was respect for the student organizations. He said he wanted groups to have at least 24 hours to see their recommendations and ask him questions about them before he would release the figures to the public.

Other student groups who were reached for comment, such as Caribbean Students Association and Korean American Student Association, had not checked their mailboxes Monday to receive budget allocations. Urankar said he distributed the recommendations around 5 p.m.

The presentation of the bills to the SA general assembly will take place Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. in Maxwell Auditorium.

Managing editor Jared Novack contributed to this report.

Published on February 7, 2005 at 12:00 pm