Last Sunday, the Wesleyan Student Assembly (WSA) discussed changes to the way concerts are funded on campus. WSA members Jared Keller ’09 and Aubrey Hamilton ’12 have written a proposal to form a Concert Committee that will “serve as the controlling body for the funds the SBC has allocated to its control,” and “shall be responsible for funding all musical performances it deems deserving so long as such requests comply with SBC funding guidelines.”
Currently, students seeking funding for musical performances go before the Student Budget Committee (SBC) and make their case, and then are required to leave the room while the SBC makes their decision.
The Concert Committee, by contrast, would make funding decisions about musical performances independently of the rest of the SBC. The Committee would be given a fixed amount of money for the entire year—approximately the amount of money that the University has spent annually on concerts in recent years. So long as it follows WSA funding procedure, the Committee would be given exclusive control over funding music. Spring Fling, however, would remain under the control of the SBC.
The Committee would consist of five members selected by the WSA and SBC from a pool of applicants. A chairperson would report to the assembly about the status of the funds and serve as an additional WSA member. Representatives advocating the proposal voiced their support for a separate committee from the SBC, because it will enable people more closely tied to the music scene to decide what performances receive funding. They intend to select members with extensive musical knowledge, and diverse music taste.
“I think that the concert committee will alleviate some of the pressures put on the SBC, especially because the members of the SBC usually don’t have the expertise that members of the music collectives on campus have,” said WSA member Cordelia Blanchard ’12. “I think that the WSA should trust both the discretion of the chair choice and the committee members’ ability to remain open-minded.”
Opponents of the Concert Committee point to the potential that control over funding could be given to students too interested in a specific type of music. Such a situation could lead to a conflict of interest and a limited assortment of musical offerings, these critics argue.
The proposal has a number of built-in precautions to address such concerns, however. No member of the concert committee may submit a request. Additionally, the SBC may overrule the concert committee’s decision, or repeal its funds at any time if it achieves a five-sevenths majority vote. WSA members proposed a number of amendments in order to address such concerns. The final vote on the formation of the committee is scheduled for next Sunday.