We, the undersigned members of the Class of 2005 and supporters of the Class of 2005, urge our fellow classmates to contact our GA representatives in all areas to ask them to vote down the proposed budget for the 2004-2005 school year.
This budget only allots $10,000 to the Class of 2005 for our senior year, which is not nearly enough money to cover senior year expenses. For the past two years, the Senior Class has been given a budget of $16,000. The proposed budget decreases the Class of 2005 budget $6,000 from the Class of 2004 and Class of 2003 senior budgets. Class of 2005 Executives intended to maintain the same level of programming as the previous two senior classes, however, with a decrease in funding like this, it would be nearly impossible to do so.
As the Class of 2005 budget currently stands at $10,000, the only two programs the 2005 Senior Class can afford are the Senior Cruise and one Screen on the Green. This budget leaves no remaining money for fundraising for the Senior Class Gift which costs approximately $35,000.
The budget does not even allow for advertising for Senior Nights on the Town. While the Senior Cruise does raise money, traditionally, all of that money was used to supplement the senior class gift. Even if that money were to be folded back into other events, the Senior Cruise occurs too late in the year - the Thursday after classes end in the spring - to have an impact on funding other events.
In speaking to current seniors, senior class events are some of the most well attended events at AU. While the Class of 2005 Executive Officers understand that fundraising is essential, the officers say this fundraising should be going to the Senior Class Gift. We all feel strongly that we should not have to fundraise money for programming we have already paid for with our biannual student activity fee.
If the Finance Committee had allotted a mere $10 a senior, the class would have been given a bare minimum of $14,200. Next year's senior class will have contributed $205,900 to the total Student Activities Fee, a large percentage of which goes to the SC. We will only be receiving, however, $10,000 back for our own senior class programming for our last hoorah! Our class has put in three years of work and we deserve to have a great senior year.
Yet, the current budget does not account for the programming our Class of 2005 Executives had in store. Juniors caution all undergraduates that they too will be seniors and once this precedent is set, seniors will no longer enjoy a fabulous senior year with programming such as Senior O.R.G.Y Week, the Senior Cruise, Screen on the Greens, Spring Senior Week, Senior trip to Six Flags, Senior T-Shirts, Senior Scrubs, Senior Night at the Movies, and a memorable Senior Class Gift because the budget just doesn't allow for it!
If you support our rationale and a future of great senior year programming, please contact your GA representatives immediately and encourage them to vote down the proposed budget for 2004-2005.
Michael Abner, Andrea Abramson, Michael Alderfer, Jayne Allen, Rabia Altaf, Matthew Ames, Megan Arbenstreit, Natalie Bajnath, Jennifer Beck, Dana Begley, Adam Bender, Caroline Bishop, Brandon Blackburn-Dwyer, Resni Boone, Sandra Bozik, Nick Brooks, Kylee Burgess, Jessica Campbell, Melissa Chin, Elizabeth Claps, Whitney Coates, Alonit Cohen, Shelby Conney, Allie Cowan, Katie Cummings, Meghan Curran, Ashley DePalma, Jared Dienstag, James Dozier, John Dudley, Anthony Elmo, Allison Fayle, Jonathan Feins, Amrith Fernandes-Prabhu, Miriam Fink, Heidi Fishpaw, Farzaneh Fouladi, Aaron Foxman, Stephanie Frankfurt, Rebecca Friedman, Jen Frish, Emily Fuller, Alison Fuller, Jonathan Gaeke, Michael Gaetahi, Jarad Geldner, Benjamin Gill, Whiteny Gisvold, Carl Glace, Rachel Goldstein, Eric Gorman Wallace, Geoffrey Grant, Noah Grayson, Rebecca Greenberg, Gwendolyn Grewe, Richard Grossman, Hannah Grove-DeJarnett, Sara Guderyahn, Stephanie Halipilias, Kim Hamill, Jason Harris, Phil Hartmann, Jenna Hasan, Auy Hauser, Lindsay Hayek, Erin Hinchey, Michael Hoffman, Karl Horborg, Josh Howard, Kimberly Hultquist, Megan Hughes, Stephanie Hurst, Laura Im, Jacqueline Inaber, Janice Iwaina, Peter Jacobson, Tara Jardin, Jessica Jasper, Riley John, Emily Johnson, Megan Johnson, Krystle Kaul, Ashlie Kelner, Katherine Kirschner, Matt Klaus, Julie Klier, Michael Knott, Marissa Labate, Dan Lerner, Josh Levine, Sarah, Lieberman, Jessica MacDonald, Marc Malon, Hope Mandel, Kacie Marano, Loren Marciano, Jenna Markavick, Jacquelyn Matoian, Caroline Mayhew, Mike McCoy, Megan McCoy, Lauren McKee, Jessie McLean, David McLellan Jr, Scott McMahan, Jacob Mersing, Stephanie Metkus, Heather Meyer, Elizabeth Mirsow, Derek Mooney, Meagan Morrison, Ali Muckle, John Mulcahy, Deanna Muldoon, Eitan Naftali, Tracey Naylor, Ross Nover, Robert Olker, Mike Olrne, Sara Ottoson, Daniel Paepke, Amy Perlman, Daniel Podesta, Ashley Pontius, Emilie Porter Rand, Scott Porwick, Jeremy Rabbani, Angelica Ramos, Heather Rehns, Scott Rehns, Lindsey Rice, Andrew Rizzarch, Kim Roth, Hillary Rothberg, Elizabeth Rouse, Jillian Rowen, Ellen Russell, Jason Sagure, Chris Salazar, Elizabeth Schaefer, Stephanie Schneck, Jeff Schnell, Tiffany Segreti, Dan Shenman, Clare Shipley, Scott Sholder, Gregory Simon, Danielle Sinkford, Catie Small, Jeremy Smith, Lauren Smith, Ramjit Sohal, Sam Solleveld, Leigh Sorkin, Jenny Stamer, Gia Stark, Jeffrey Starr, Jennifer Steen, EJ Stern, Jillian Tanori, Dan Tapper, Leslie Thornton, Lisa Tirri, Emilie Udell, Allie Underwood, Siobhan Uniacke, Meg Valickus, Juancarlo Vasquez, Andy Vasquez, Jacki Vigh, Becca Volpe, Katie Walker, Jeff Wardwell, Amanda Wasserman, Sarah Weiner, Rachel Weiner, Jeff Weiser, Aaron Weiss, Ryan Whalen, Christine Whitehead, Jen Wilk, Abigail Williams, Abigail Witt, Stanley Woodward, Michael Wright, Mathew Wythum, Alexandra Yanus, Mariana Yeremina, Nicole Zangara, Lauren Zepp and Niklas Zhang.
The 192 students represent roughly 3 percent of the student population and about 10 percent of the Class of 2005.
