The first item of business for the new student government president after taking office Thursday was to veto spending $20,000 to bring the progressive-activist Afro-Latin band Ozomatli to campus this fall.
ASUO President Jared Axelrod said several of the event’s details, such as charging admission and setting a definitive date, need to be ironed out before he’ll sign off on the expense.
Three times in the last month the Student Senate discussed bringing the Grammy Award-winning band to campus. The event was intended as a welcoming bash and networking event for freshmen and others to learn about student programs and other resources available to them.
Journalism student Trevor Atkins proposed the idea after seeing an Ozomatli show in Portland, where he was inspired to bring together students, particularly freshmen who are unfamiliar with campus resources.
Axelrod said he thinks the event would be very positive for the campus community, but he vetoed the request because community members were going to be able to attend the concert free of charge, he said.
It could be a great opportunity to raise funds for student programs, he said, and charging $10 to students and a little more for community members is still affordable; Ozomatli tickets usually go for $30 or $40.
The Senate gave the Cultural Forum $20,000 last Wednesday for what was intended to be a free event. Atkins raised about $10,000 in donations from student program sponsors in recent weeks.
This year, the Student Senate surplus fund, which is an account filled with unused money from student program budgets, was abnormally high.
“The fact that we have this extra money in surplus doesn’t mean we should be going out and spending it all,” he said.
Axelrod said he’s not pushing for a particular action by the Senate, which will address the event’s funding at Wednesday’s meeting.
Certain details, such as when the concert would take place and whether it would coincide with other campus events during the Week of Welcome, need to be debated further. Senators need a two-thirds majority to override his veto.
“If the senate feels that this is something that’s very important, then they have the power to do that,” Axelrod said. “But I think another look with my reasoning behind it – it would be a good idea to take another look at it.”
Senator Wally Hicks, who voted against spending $20,000 for the concert, said he supports the veto and will not vote to override it on Wednesday. After four weeks of debate, Hicks said, he’s not likely to be swayed.
Senator Athan Papailiou voted for the concert, but he said he understands Axelrod’s concerns and isn’t opposed to hearing more debate.
“I’m hoping that the discussion will allow me to again vote in favor of bringing Ozomatli to campus, Papailiou said.