Fee allocation for fraternity concert revoked

After a second voting and more than an hour-long debate among two meetings, the Student Government Association voted against providing additional funds to Sigma Phi Epsilon’s “Rock The Yard” annual benefit concert.
After a short debate this Monday, Sig Ep members were asked to abstain when voting and the resolution failed 9-15-1 with seven forced abstentions.
Jon Whitt Golden, the Vice-President of Finance for Sigma Phi Epsilon, attended an SGA meeting on April 9 to appeal the Student Activity Fee Allocation funding to the fraternity’s concert which was originally $7,650.
The fraternity asked for an additional $4,850 for a total of $12,500 to cover speaker, sound, lighting and stage costs. Golden said they would need money to fence the yard so people would not trespass, money to provide security and money for port-a-potties and possibly wristbands.
Golden also said the non-profit concert, which benefits YouthAids charity, would cost about $18,000 and that Rock City staging would charge $6,500 for their stage.
He also said Rock City had a monopoly in the state on staging.
“We are willing to fundraise the remainder that will be needed to get to that $18,000 but we can’t expect to give money to a philanthropy and fundraise and actually have the event at the same time if we don’t have the $5 entry fee,” Golden said on April 9.
The failed resolution raised by junior class representative Adam Price on April 9 read: “I move that Sigma Phi Epsilon’s SAFA allocation be increased to $12,500 for speaker, sound, lighting, and stage.
Also, change the requirement on the event to allow charging participants $5 at the door.”
TJ Beringer, senior class president, opposed the resolution because he said the SAFA committee put a lot of thought and time into the way they distributed funds among campus organizations.
Graduate senator Mandy Porter and Vice-President of Finance Jack Phillips agreed.
At the time the resolution passed by a 20-11-1 vote.
The resolution went to a second voting because according to SGA’s Constitution in By-Law D: Article 2: Section 1: C, “Senators shall not vote on the allocation of funds registered to Registered Student Organizations of which they are members.”
Eight SGA representatives are Sig Ep members thus violating the bylaw.
Michael Murphy, senator-at-large and Sig Ep member, voted in favor of the resolution during the first voting because he said SGA President Austin Hall allowed Sig Ep members to vote although he discouraged them from voting.
He also said that SGA through SAFA should have prioritized from the beginning to see which events would be funded instead of staying consistent with SAFA committee’s decisions in giving a set allocation to every group.
On the April 16 meeting, Hall offered an apology due to the violation of the bylaws.
“I was not fully aware of the bylaw. I think we are all on this together and we all have to be responsible for knowing the bylaws. I think what we did tonight was good. I’m not saying the end result was good or bad but we fixed our mistake,” Hall said.