The Financial Advisory Board unanimously approved two appeals requests worth just over $3,500 on Thursday, while two additional requests were dismissed.
XeCult, an organization dedicated to promoting LGBTQ+ artists at the college and in the Boston area, and Phi Alpha Tau, a professional communicative arts fraternity, both saw the entirety of their requests approved.
XeCult’s request totaled $3,035, $2,770 of which will be used to pay for the production of zines and a show promoting and releasing the zines.
“We really want to focus on bringing in non-Emerson acts and paying them for their work and combining the Greater Boston art community with the community that we have here,” XeCult President Emily Spooner said at the meeting.
The rest of the organization’s appeal will be used to pay for marketing materials and merchandise.
Phi Alpha Tau’s request, which totaled just $475.13, will help the fraternity put on the Brudnoy Gala, an event intended to raise awareness for HIV and AIDS. $112.63 will be used to pay for the Dr. David Brudnoy Memorial Award, a price that was briefly questioned by FAB members. The remainder of the appeal will cover the costs of catering, the printing of programs, and promotion for the gala.
After swift approval of the first two appeals, FAB chose not to fund a $998 request from Full Fathom Productions, an organization that combines theater and film.
The request was intended to help the production group purchase two film projectors but was questioned by members of the board who pointed out that the college already owns multiple projectors.
Following that observation, instead of granting the appeal, Executive Treasurer Abigail Semple chose to book the projectors on Fathom Production’s behalf.
“I called Media Services and booked the projectors instead of spending $1,000 on them because they need them for this weekend,” Semple said in an interview with The Beacon. “There’s no way that they could order them in time to be here this weekend anyway.”
The last appeal request considered by FAB came from Sweet Tooth Animation, an organization that focuses on promoting and creating animations, for the purchase of drawing tablets, animation reference books, and candy and food for meetings and movie screenings.
The request, which totaled $465.90, drew immediate scrutiny from members of the board who pointed out that the organization could use their remaining funds to purchase food for its members instead of appeal money.
Semple decided to end FAB’s discussion of the request and instead meet with leaders of the organization, who were not present at the meeting, to determine whether any part of the request is valid.
As the request is under $500, Semple can choose to approve or deny it herself, a power that is outlined in the Student Government Association’s treasury handbook.
“I really would rather invest appeals in long-term investments for organizations,” Semple said. “It’s just a better use of funds.”
