Eleven members the Keene State College Student Assembly met on Tuesday, Sept. 16 on the Mountain View room.
International Alternative Spring Break placed a funding request for $10,000 towards their 2015 trip to the Dominican Republic.
Coordinator of Community Service Jessica Gagne Cloutier represented the organization along with student team leaders to discuss the request.
A motion was passed to raise the recommended amount to $8,000, but was not approved by the assembly.
The assembly then motioned to disperse the previously recommended amount of $6,000, which also did not pass.
Assembly member Tyler King explained his reasoning for not approving the requested funding in full.
“We broke it down as roughly 666 dollars per person. We thought that was a huge amount of money for an individual student when that money is meant for all of campus. We justified giving the 6000 because 6000 divided by 15 is 400, so we would only be giving 400 instead of 666,” explained King.
“I have been going back and forth between what is right and wrong here. Looking back on the past years I have been on student government I can see a large amount of sacrifices later on in the year because we have made such liberal donations to groups early in the year,” Student Body President Robert Graham added.
Ultimately, Alternative Spring Break was approved after much deliberation for $7,000 after two other amounts were not approved.
Dean of Mason Library Celia Rabinowitz also attended the meeting to introduce herself. Rabinowitz has only been at KSC for six weeks, but mentioned some of the changes she wants to bring to the Mason Library.
“I think its likely that by the end of this semester or certainly by next semester, you will be able to get coffee in the library,” Rabinowitz said.
She continued, “We are looking at something that is self contained, something self-service.”
Rabinowitz explained having an attendant would add exponentially to the cost of running a coffee shop.
Dean Rabinowitz also said she wants to allow the library’s laptop lending program to grow to include longer lending periods, and allow some laptop computers to be loaned overnight.
David Walsh can be contacted at dwalsh@keene-equinox.com
