UA approves funds for IFS's Greek Week

The money comes from $30,000 the UA allotted to the Greeks last year. The University's undergraduate student government took the final step toward giving money to the InterFraternity Council Sunday when it voted to allocate $10,000 toward an upcoming event intended to introduce freshmen to the various Greek organizations. The Undergraduate Assembly allocated the IFC $30,000 of its $1.2 million budget last March, but the money was placed in a discretionary account which required the UA to approve each specific use of the money. The $30,000 would have gone to the Student Activities Council if it had not been given to the IFC. The UA's decision last spring to fund IFC events was controversial, with several campus leaders proposing a referendum to overturn the UA's budget and return the money to the Student Activities Council budget. The resolution was thrown out after the student group that runs campus elections determined that the sponsors of the resolution had run a misleading campaign. The first $10,000 of the fund will be used for the October 6-10 Greek Week event. Freshmen cannot actually join a fraternity or sorority until the spring semester. The UA voted unanimously in favor of the $10,083.40 IFC budget proposal. IFC President and College senior Josh Belinfante and Panhellenic Council executive vice president Liz Bernard attended the second UA meeting to announce the proposal and explain major changes to Greek Week. The UA money will fund Friday and Saturday's events and all advertising, and will make up more than two-thirds of the entire Greek Week budget. This includes equipment for the movie night on Friday and the expense of Saturday's carnival. "Last year, Greek Week was quiet in comparison to what we have planned [this year]," Bernard said. "We are really excited and hope that Greek Week serves its purpose of celebrating Greek life on campus." Belinfante explained that the UA funding will allow the event to be much bigger and reach more people. "In the past, Greek Week was a mere walk down Locust Walk with people trying to advocate for their sororities and fraternities," the Alpha Chi Rho brother said. "This year, we want Greek Week to reach the entire campus, and the $30,000 discretionary fund could help us do that." College sophomore Jon Glick, treasurer of the UA, motioned to amend the proposed budget asking the Greek representatives to settle for a half-page advertisement rather than a full page advertisement in The Daily Pennsylvanian, saving about $500. UA Chairperson Bill Conway opened the floor to a five-minute discussion on the amendment proposal. The Wharton junior questioned Belinfante as to whether the money will go toward any alcoholic events. "The only hint of alcohol will be on Wednesday at Dave & Buster's," a restaurant downtown, Belinfante said. "But the UA allocation will cover Friday and Saturday only." Another question was raised in terms of what will happen to any excess funds. Belinfante explained that excess funds will be returned to the discretionary fund. Following the five-minute discussion, the UA denied the motion suggested by Glick and voted unanimously in favor of allocating the $10,083.40 to the IFC to "co-sponsor" the event. Glick said he was"satisfied" with the UA's decision to overturn the amendment. Despite the controversy earlier this year, Conway maintained that the IFC, although not a student government body, does deserve UA funding. "Some may claim that the proper channels were not used for this allocation, but the IFC is the largest student organization on campus and should receive money from the same pot as the other student organizations," Conway said . "The UA has done much work to ensure that this allocation follows all UA and SAC budgetary procedures, and not one UA dollar will be spent where there is the likelihood of alcohol consumption," he said, explaining that the IFC will be required to turn in all spending receipts. While Belinfante said he was pleased with the funding, Sang Cha, chairperson of SAC, said that "the money allocated to the IFC should be used with cautious optimism to do good for the campus." "I respect the UA's decision but that doesn't mean I have to like it," the Wharton senior added.

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