Music begins its sweep through campus, announcing the long-awaited arrival of Friday afternoon. The sound snakes through the brick buildings, drawing students to the EMU Amphitheater where the three different student a cappella groups perform. Many flock to the heart of campus, hoping to get a seat and a chance to sing along to a favorite song.
These performances used to primarily draw fans of Divisi @@http://www.uodivisi.com/@@ and On The Rocks; @@http://www.uoontherocks.com/@@but recently, a third co-ed group — Mind the Gap — has developed a solid fan base. In order to keep moving forward, the group received over $3,000 from ASUO Senate to attend an award ceremony in Boston. 

“We have people who want to audition for us now and don’t see us as just a back-up option,” said the group’s business director Mikaela Zottola. @@http://pages.uoregon.edu/gardner2/members/Mikaela%20Zottola/mikaela.html@@
It all began last term when the group was invited to attend an award show in Boston called the BOSS Festival @@http://bostonsings.com/about-boss/@@but didn’t have enough money to go. They decided to make a special request to ASUO Senate.
During the meeting, the group met a snag with its request. Senate felt uncomfortable funding the full amount when there were a few members in the group who weren’t currently enrolled at the University. According to ASUO Senator Ben Bowman, @@http://asuo.uoregon.edu/senate.php?a=30@@ he found a way to compromise.
“I came up with an algorithm and figured out how many terms each member had paid the fee, then calculated the final amount from that,” Bowman said. “Then, I requested a song.”
Before the meeting, he met with one of the group members to help with procedural issues some groups encounter while requesting money. During their conversation, he asked the member if the group could sing at the meeting. When the request was over, Bowman shouted out “Sweet Caroline,” and Mind the Gap began to sing right on cue.
Although the group requested $5,000, Senate only granted $3,100 based on Bowman’s algorithm.
They were able to raise the rest of the money and flew to the East Coast to try their luck as representatives of the University. The group returned last month. While they did not win the award, Zottola said the trip was an incredible learning experience.
“It was essential that ASUO helped us,” Zottola said. “It was cool to compete against established groups because it made us realize that we can reach that potential.”
Since the group is only five years old, it is still trying to find its voice and place on campus. Recently, they restructured everyone’s roles so each member has more of a say in the way things are run. Zottola explained the group has also been paying closer attention to the music it sings.
When Mind the Gap began, they focused on singing more alternative music. Now, they are working at finding music they can connect with.
“It isn’t about competing with Divisi or On The Rocks,” Zottola said. “@@checked@@ It is about singing what we want to sing. If you don’t believe the story you’re telling, you won’t sing a strong song.”
Most recently, all three a capella groups have needed or will need to request money from Senate. Last week, Divisi asked for money to go to Santa Cruz for a competition, while On The Rocks is scheduled to ask for more money Wednesday night to produce a new album.
ASUO Senator Lindy Mabuya @@http://asuo.uoregon.edu/senate.php?a=30@@said Divisi only requested money from Senate once, while the other two have come in multiple times.

“I think these other groups were aware this is a resource,” she said. “But I applaud Divisi for being the most independent.”
Bowman had another theory for why these groups have all come into Senate.
“I think this speaks to the success of the a capella groups,” he said. “I am personally proud to fund them. They are a good representation of the success art programs have on this campus and contribute to the culture of this University.”