Student Loan Fund Auction held
Kara Price
Statt Writer
"I'm going to have
some fun now," said JJ
McEachern, director of
the First-Year Center, as
he left the Student Loan
Fund Auction with a new
pair of golf clubs.
McEachern joined
approximately 80 faculty,
staff, students, alumni
and supporters in filling
Bryan Auditorium last
Friday night.
Under the leader
ship of senior Commu
nity Senate president
Cynthia McKay and
president-elect Megan Page, Sen
ate organized the 18th annual Stu
dent Loan Fund Auction, raising
a total of $8,210 ($5,032 in bids and
$3,178 in monetary donations).
Senate made two distinct
changes in the auction this year.
First, they moved it back to cam
pus and, second, they added a
small students-only section. Here,
the bidding was limited to stu
dents so they would not have to
compete with bidders having big
ger budgets.
"[The students' only section]
Union budget problems
Ben Many
STAZTWIUTER
"In order to put on good
events, we need more money,"
said Erica Sammartino, co
chair of this year's Serendipity.
Unfortunately, Serendipity was
allotted considerably less
money than was requested.
This year's budget was $38,000,
while Union requested $42,000.
Union is spending $20,000
on the bands, lighting and
sound. The rest is being spent
on the carnival, shirts, the
Bryan quad dance, and secu
rity.
Also, Union's budget, from
which Serendipity in funded,
was over $5,000 less than last
year, down from $105,007 to
SIOO,OOI. The decrease in
funds allotted by Senate to
Union is due to the heavy
amount of requests on student
activities fee money for clubs.
GUILFORDIAN
Greensboro, NC
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Trustee and alumnus Billy Ragsdale auctions off a painting at the Student Loan Fund Auction on
Friday, March 16. The event raised $8,210.
is a real neat concept and I hope it's
something we continue," Page said.
"But we need more students in at
tendance to really make it work."
A silent auction occupied the
first hour, followed by the live auc
tion. Auctioneer Billy Ragsdale fla
vored the evening with many fast
paced quips, matched by one-liners
from those in attendance.
When a basketball signed by
Bill Bradley was brought up for
auction, vice president of enroll
ment Randy Doss shouted, "Go
Princeton!"
According to Dawn Watkins,
associate dean for community
activities, "Enrollment trends
over the past few years affected
student activities fees. While
the club system has continued to
grow, greater demand among all
clubs has created a strain on the
total pool of funds." Such clubs
include The Guilfordian
($40,000) and The Quaker
($40,000).
One of the other reasons
for Union's budgeting problems
is that Union front-loaded its
schedule this year while ex
pecting more funding during
the spring. "We were under
the misleading impression that
there would be additional
funds that we could special-re
quest in order to bolster our
spring activities schedule, in
cluding Serendipity," said
Union vice-president Dain
Roose-Snyder.
Fortunately, a solution to
March 23, 2001
All items up for auction were
donated, many by faculty and
staff. Library director Mary
Ellen Chijioke donated a home
cooked West African meal for
eight, which sold for $240. A stool
made by John Watkins (husband
of associate dean of student life
Dawn Watkins) went for $l7O.
Gertude Beal of the Corre
spondence Center put together a
"survivor pack" in mimicry of the
popular television show, stuffed
with everything from munchies to
nature books. President Don
these problems is in the
works. "We won't have these
budgeting problems next year
because of the raise in student
activities fees," said Union
treasurer Josie Black. The stu
dent activities fees will be raised
from $250 per person to S3OO. Ac
companied by the projected in
crease in enrollment next year,
Union and Serendipity will have
larger budgets to work with.
Eric Leaf, next year's Union
president, said "Expect a good
year and big stuff happening."
The Guilfordian
c/o Student Activities
5800 W. Friendly Ave.
Greensboro, NC 27410
McNemar won the pack
with a bid of SIOO.
Some items were do
nated by students, such as
the Food for Peace vegetar
ian cookbook written by
CCE student Robin
Brinkmann, won by ad
ministrative assistant
Debbie Bowman in the si
lent auction.
Other items were gifts
from campus visitors, such
as signed copies of two of
poet Nikki Giovanni's
books and a signed copy of
playwright Tony Kushner's
Angels in America script.
WALTER FAISON
The highest bid of the
evening was $370 for a
table carved out of the Guilford
College oak, the tree that served
as a model for the school's logo and
that formerly stood by New Gar
den hall.
From soliciting, to sending
out invitations, to securing a
space, Senate had a year's worth
of work to do before hosting the
event. However, Page and
McKay's detail-oriented ap
proach kept everyone on task.
"I can't think of one stone
that was left unturned," Steering
Committee member Andrea
■■■ J I M
Schedule
of Events
Dodson said.
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