February 18,1992
Opinion
Student Chair: Confusion Clouds Bicentennial Funding
Moran supports a Black Cultural Center but not a free-standing one
The University recently announced
that $500,000 would be allocated
by the Bicentennial Committee
toward the renovation of an existing
facility for the Sonja Haynes Stone
Black Cultural Center. People
seeking a free-standing BCC were
dissatisfied with the decision. Some
blamed the administration for the
stagnation on the issue of funding a
free-standing facility. Others
blamed those involved with the
Bicentennial. On-Campus Editor
Lee Richardson, interviewed the.
Chairman of the Student
Bicentennial Committee, Kevin
Moran, to inquire about his post
and his opinion about a free
standing BCC.
BLACK INK; What is your job,
and what does it entail?
MORAN: Officially speaking, I
am the Chairman of the Student
Bicentennial Planning Committee,
and, along with the other members
of the committee, I serve as the
“official” link between the
Bicentennial Observance office, the
administrative office that
coordinates the Bicentennial
programming, and the student body.
Besides reporting to Steve Tepper,
the associate general secretary for
the Bicentennial, I also report to the
Union Board of Directors because
of its own involvement with student
events programming. My
responsibilities also include my
sitting as a non-voting member on
the Bicentennial Policy Committee,
the committee that makes all final
decisions concerning Bicentennial
events and policies...and on a
number of other Bicentennial related
committees to represent the voice
of the student body.
Simply put, however, I am here
to help students become involved in
the Bicentennial. Most of the time,
this means that I work with student
organizations and University
departments that are immediately
concerned with student activities to
help them find ways in which they
can participate in Bicentennial
events. So far, most of this work has
involved brainstorming. I’ll get
together with representatives of
various groups and work with them
to develop concepts for projects that
they might like to sponsor during
the Bicentennial. After a concept
has been developed, 1 help them
propose the project to the
Bicentennial Policy Committee, and
if the proposal is passed, to find
resources for its competition.
The final important element of
my job, is that I act as a type of
information service. The
Bicentennial is so big, and entails
so much, that it’s hard for many
people to grasp what is actually
happening. Rightnowitis important
for me to get out the word that the
Bicentennial is occuring. You’d be
amazed at how many students don’ t
even know that the Bicentennial is
taking place during the 1993-94
school year and that there are a lot
of ways in which students can be
involved.
INK: Exactly how do students and
organizations have an impact on
the Bicentennial? How do they get
involved?
MORAN: Ahh. This is exactly the
type of information that I am trying
to spread. Students need to realize
that they can have as big an impact
on the Bicentennial as they want.
Obviously, my committee wants all
the student involvement that it can
get. The student organizations and
the committee just need to get in
touch with each other. Starting last
year, when Rashmi Airan had my
position, the committee began
contacting students to invite them
to work with us. Student
organizations, for example, were
invited by letter to propose ideas for
projects that they would like to
sponsor during the Bicentennial.
This year, I have made an effort to
contact personally as many
organizations as possible. To some
extent, these efforts have been
successful. Right now, for example,
I am working with the BSM, the
Campus-Y, the Association of
International Students, and the IM-
Rec Department, to name a few
groups, to develop project
proposals. And, at the last policy
committee meeting a proposal co
sponsored by student government,
the Student Bicentennial Planning
Committee and the Office of
Leadership Development, for a
significant leadership conference
was passed. While these are
successes for my committee, I have
to realize that there are still over a
hundred recognized student
organizations that aren’t yet
involved. We’ve got our work cut
out for us.
INKiDoestheStudentBicentennial
Planning Committee have any
money to work with? And if so, how
much?
MORAN: The answer is yes and
no. The Bicentennial Observance
off ice has set aside a certai n amount
of money to be used to help fund
student programs. Although the
committee itself does not have the
money, it plays a very important
role in deciding how the money is
allocated. It is hard to put an exact
number on how much money is
available to students. I would say
we have roughly between $25,000
and $50,000. One has to remember
that the numbers are deceptive. The
Bicentennial Observance off ^ce and
the student committee are both
strongly commited to helping stu
dents participate in the Bicenten
nial. Many times, we are able to
find resources for student projects
that are not purely monetary in na
ture. So, in the end students will be
getting a great deal more help than
just the dollar amount.
INK: Do you have any specific
priorities for where the money is
going? Do you have any one group
you want to target?
MORAN: No, not at all. The Stu
dent Bicentennial Planning Com
mittee is present to help all stu
dents. There are no special interests
involved. Obviously with a limited
amount of money we can’t do ev
erything, but we haven’t had to say
“no” yet; although, sometimes we
have to work with groups to make
their proposals for funding a bi t more
realistic. My most important goal
concerning the funds is that they are
used in the most efficient manner
possible. The committee tries as hard
as possible to see that the money
helps as many people as possible.
While the committee and the Bicen
tennial Observance office will try to
make the funds go as far as possible,
it is important to realize that the
sooner student groups submit their
proposals the less they have to fear
that the money might run out.
INK: Uaveyouconsideredassisting
the BCC with your funds?
MORAN: This is a very important
question. The Student Bicentennial
Planning Committee has absolutely
no connections to the Bicentennial
Campaign, the campaign that is
raising money for projects such as
an enhanced BCC. Besides which,
the funds available to our committee
aren’t nearly enough to be put
towards such a project even if we
were involved in this area of the
Bicentennial.
Apparently there has been a lot
of confusion concerning this issue
recently and I believe that this has
caused some people to become
wrongly disgruntled with our
committee and the Bicentennial in
general. I feel badaboutthis. I joined
the Bicentennial because it appeared
to be the perfect way to help the
school. Not only was 1 excited about
this type of work, but it also seemed
to me that the Bicentennial was one
of those few things that everyone
can take part in and enjoy...one of
those few things that doesn’t raise
some political question or cause
some problem.
In terms of the BCC, people
should know that the Bicentennial
Campaign, as part of its goal, is
trying to raise a half million dollars
for new (and) expanded BCC
facilities and programming.
Whether or not this will be put
towards a free-standing BCC is
something that I don’t know. 1 do
hope, however, that people
See BCC, Page 11
Myron VmslBlack Ink
Moran says people often confuse his committee with the Bicentennial Campaign