2008 Woodie Awards
Pro: BOP organizes activities for the whole school
Colleen Flynn '07
Issue date: 10/12/06 Section: Commentary
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Commentary writer Kyle Drennen '07 recently commented on Student Congress' distribution of funds to the clubs and activities on campus. While he appreciated the Board of Programers' efforts to sponsor activities and events on campus, he lamented the seemingly traditional allocation of the majority of money to BOP over other organizations.
I may stand on biased ground when I defend BOP because I am a member of the Board, but after witnessing how much work goes into programming activities on and off campus, and how expensive such programming can be, I feel it necessary to support Student Congress' decision. BOP's sole purpose is to provide activities and entertainment for the student body and it is divided into subcommittees to address as many areas of interest as possible to represent the varied tastes of the campus. Before I joined the board, I thought it was pretty ridiculous that BOP received more than $150,000 to slap together a C-list celebrity concert, host a couple of rained out barbeques, take me to a Red Sox game, and let me keep a goldfish. After working those concerts and barbeques and planning those trips, I now see how expensive it is to get Dippin' Dots for Clam Jam or rent a bus to New York City for a Broadway show. Attempting to bring a well-known act to campus for the spring concert would wipe out, at the very least, $50,000 of the current BOP budget. We try our hardest to please the student population, and at times we miss the mark; these instances leave us feeling disheartened that we did not do our job and leave both the students and the Board feeling like money was wasted.
As a member of several other campus organizations, I also sympathize with the plight of fledgling clubs trying to make do with the measly dollars they're allocated. You cannot even plan a pizza party with $125, let alone a legitimate event. It is maddening to watch Zoolander from the confines of '64 Hall after the outdoor movie has been rained out, knowing that SHEPARD could have put that money toward another event.
I may stand on biased ground when I defend BOP because I am a member of the Board, but after witnessing how much work goes into programming activities on and off campus, and how expensive such programming can be, I feel it necessary to support Student Congress' decision. BOP's sole purpose is to provide activities and entertainment for the student body and it is divided into subcommittees to address as many areas of interest as possible to represent the varied tastes of the campus. Before I joined the board, I thought it was pretty ridiculous that BOP received more than $150,000 to slap together a C-list celebrity concert, host a couple of rained out barbeques, take me to a Red Sox game, and let me keep a goldfish. After working those concerts and barbeques and planning those trips, I now see how expensive it is to get Dippin' Dots for Clam Jam or rent a bus to New York City for a Broadway show. Attempting to bring a well-known act to campus for the spring concert would wipe out, at the very least, $50,000 of the current BOP budget. We try our hardest to please the student population, and at times we miss the mark; these instances leave us feeling disheartened that we did not do our job and leave both the students and the Board feeling like money was wasted.
As a member of several other campus organizations, I also sympathize with the plight of fledgling clubs trying to make do with the measly dollars they're allocated. You cannot even plan a pizza party with $125, let alone a legitimate event. It is maddening to watch Zoolander from the confines of '64 Hall after the outdoor movie has been rained out, knowing that SHEPARD could have put that money toward another event.