Mag. funding approved

SAC denied 'Red and Blue'SAC denied 'Red and Blue'requests last semester and Randi Feigenbaum After fighting for Student Activities Council funding and recognition for years, The Red and Blue received almost $3,000 from the body last night. In contrast to the controversy surrounding the funding of the campus magazine last semester, last night's discussion and vote took no longer than 10 minutes and came almost completely without opposition. Last February, SAC removed The Red and Blue's full-recognition status, making it impossible for them to receive funding from the University under the SAC bylaws, which have since been revised. During that emotion-filled meeting, SAC rescinded the magazine's funding because of its alleged political slant. At the time, SAC's guidelines prevented the funding of any organization that was political in any sense. New SAC guidelines were established last March that prohibit the body from making allocation decisions on the basis of "the content of the speech or expression of such organization." Red and Blue Editor-in-Chief Thor Halvorssen, a College senior, said he is pleased SAC decided to fund the magazine. "This is how it should have been," he said last night. "It's a sign that people have understood the value of freedom of speech for all voices." The Vietnamese Student Association had more difficulty obtaining funds that would have gone toward the replacement of equipment that was damaged during the group's dance Friday night. During the dance, a brawl broke out when two intoxicated people bumped into each other on the Bodek Lounge dance floor. Five University students were injured and the disc jockeys' equipment was damaged. VSA originally asked for $1,710 to replace the equipment, which included a pair of $300 eyeglasses. The SAC Finance Committee recommended not giving the group any money. When requesting money from the general committee, VSA decreased their request to $1,411 and then $600. Both requests failed. Undergraduate Assembly Treasurer, Daily Pennsylvanian sports writer and College sophomore Steve Schorr explained the reason behind the Finance Committee's recommendation, noting that the dance and DJ equipment were not covered by SAC. Awareness of International Markets originally asked SAC for $3,205. After the SAC Finance Committee turned down that request, AIM asked for $862 to pay for 20 bulkpacks about international markets. SAC's general membership turned that request down because the body felt the money would indirectly subsidize AIM's travel expenses during an overseas conference, which violates SAC guidelines. The SAC body eventually gave AIM a $600 bulk sum. And Penn Transfers received nothing from SAC after requesting $539 for food for an event because food is not funded under SAC's guidelines. During the meeting, SAC also granted full recognition to eight groups -- the Animation Club, the Biochemistry Club, Lubavitch Students Association, the Lone Star Club, the Pakistan Society, Penn Watch, the Poor Richard's Record yearbook and the Thai Club.

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