During its Friday meeting, Emerson College’s Student Government Association passed an initiative to make tickets for this year’s EVVY Awards ceremony free for all guests. The initiative’s goal is to encourage more students and alumni to attend.
The council voted 9-2 in favor of relieving the EVVYs ticket prices, making the ceremony free for the first time since it started in 1981. Funding for the tickets will come from the student fee account, a pool of unallocated money set aside for special purposes; SGA will give $7,200 of the $12,000 pool to cover the ticket prices.
Two EVVYs organizers initially proposed the idea to the SGA on the premise of granting equal access to all attendees.
“We want the EVVYs to be … more accessible and a more connective space for students on campus,” Janelle Emokpae, associate logistics producer for the EVVYs, said during the presentation. “Even though we are the biggest co-curricular organization, we still charge fees.”
The proposal saw overwhelming support from SGA members, including from Low Income and First Generation Senator Jazzy Compton.
“Access is really important,” she said. “This is a great way of making things accessible for everyone.”
Executive President Georgia Winn also supported the proposal. She said that she believes that by comping the tickets, more people will attend the show.
“We already give [the EVVYs] money to do a great show, we might as well [let] people come to it,” said Winn.
Some members questioned whether this would set a precedent for future EVVY Award ceremonies, or if this initiative would only apply to this year’s ceremony. Newly appointed SGA Chief Justice Hazel Fitzpatrick asked if the EVVYs would request these subsidies every year.
Oliver Katz, executive treasurer of SGA, provided some relief to Fitzpatrick’s budget concerns. He strongly supported comping the ticket prices for this year’s show, but acknowledged that this may not be a practical approach in the future.
“This year I’m feeling quite responsive to [subsidizing] the whole thing … I’m very much in favor of this,” he said. “This has been one of the goals of the past few years.”
SGA also reviewed the final proposal for new student organizations that will be officially recognized beginning in the 2026-2027 school year.
This included The Storytellers Circle, a space for writers to come together and write. Various members of the General Assembly questioned how the proposed Storytellers Circle differs from existing writing clubs. The club’s founder and co-president Sage Ancowitz, said that other organizations do not physically write in the same space, and noted that her club would provide a forum for discussion and publishing opportunities.
The organization requested a budget of around $400 for activities, coffee runs, and events in collaboration with other clubs.
Ancowitz reported that the club currently only has three to four consistent members. This raised concerns among some SGA members who said it may be difficult to sustain student interest. Similar organizations have been proposed in the past and were denied, according to Katz.
Jackie Yun, the assistant vice president of student experience, said the Cultural Engagement Center promoted a similar initiative.
“The Cultural Engagement Center held a write night weekly, and they did a lot of efforts to publicize it. No one showed up,” Yun said.
The council unanimously voted against the proposal, but suggested the co-presidents seek to create the club through the writing, literature and publishing department.
SGA also elected Fitzpatrick as the new chief justice after their current chief justice, Solidad Augustin, decided to run for a higher leadership position.
“Hazel is a beacon in SGA; you’re a really hard worker and someone who’s really driven. I’m sure you’ll take this position very seriously,” said Levi Armstrong, the co-president of the class of 2027, following the announcement.
Fitzpatrick’s previous position as the community service senator will be filled by her deputy, Arzo Noori.
The meeting ended with an open forum, where Fitzpatrick briefly proposed comping students’ cap and gown fees, which she said can be discussed in future meetings. The council will meet again on Friday, March 20, at 12 p.m.
Meg Richards contributed to this report
