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MONEY STILL AVAILABLE IN SGA SPECIAL-EVENTS FUND
A hefty chunk of cash is still available to students who want to book
an appearance by a nationally known performer or speaker, says SGA President
Lindsay Hills. The fund that will bring the band Athanaeum to campus on
Jan. 24 still contains about $40,000, and all Bryn Mawr undergraduates — not
just representatives of campus organizations— are welcome to submit
proposals suggesting how to spend it, Hills says. The deadline for proposals,
the last chance for this academic year, is in mid-February. Click to download a copy of the application and guidelines.
"People haven't been thinking big enough," says Hills. "That's part of
the reason there's still so much money in the fund. And some people who
have thought big haven't thought far enough ahead," she says, noting that a
proposal submitted in February need not be for an event this academic
year — students can apply for funds as much as three semesters in advance
of a planned event.
"Next semester, it might be a problem to find a space that's big enough
for the kind of crowd we hope to attract," Hills says. "The large venues
on campus are pretty booked up."
The SGA Executive Committee, aided by Student Activities Coordinator
Mary Beth Horvath, reviews the applications. Hills offered a few hints
about what the committee is looking for:
- Think big. The purpose of the fund is to bring
performers or speakers who are prominent enough to attract a broad
segment of the campus population and the public. Famous performers
cost big bucks, but those who attract big crowds from off campus also
bring in substantial ticket revenue. Money from ticket sales is used
to replenish the fund, Hills says.
- Do your homework. Successful applications require
a bit of research. When you submit a proposal, need to make
sure the act you want to book and space on campus are both available
on the date you propose. You also need to know how
much the performance you're proposing will cost. Horvath notes
that many of the costs associated with national touring acts — technical equipment and staff that must be hired out, hospitality costs, publicity and security expenses, for example — are
not immediately apparent to the uninitiated. You'll probably
need help from the Student Activities Office to put together
a realistic proposal.
- Start soon. Because the application form
asks for specifics that take time to pin down, starting early
gives you an advantage. "Making an event like this happen
will be a lot of hard work," says Horvath, who has a lot of
experience with large-scale concerts, "but I can help with
all of the proposal details if students contact me no later
than the second week of classes."
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