Silver Lining in ASB Cut Backs

Katie Elser, Staff Writer

While no department or program is immune to the revised budget, ASB feels that the cutbacks coming from their program will be more beneficial for their members, as well as the student body.
Anticipating a 10 percent enrollment reduction for fall 2009, ASB is taking a similar cut from their number of leaders. Student life leaders in charge of making these reductions saw it as a necessary change and a good motivator to make some needed adjustments.
Any changes to the Student Council, which includes class officers and representatives, would have required a change to the constitution. So instead, the Activities Board has absorbed the cuts and has undergone a significant renovation. These changes become effective fall 2009.
“We knew before we were told about the cuts that something had to be done in order to make the Activities Board collaborate better, and this provided a way,” said David Vazquez, freshmen class president and a leader in this decision.
The biggest effect that this change will have within ASB is simply in numbers. The elimination of six positions will make for a much smaller Activities Board.
“We’re hoping it’s going to make the Activities Board more of an elite group—an intimate group that is more of a board than individuals,” senior ASB president Catherine Riley said. Riley thinks this will be an improvement.
The current Activities Board consists of 12 positions, and will be cut to four in the fall, save for each class’ Activities Director. The two marketing director positions will be kept, while the responsibilities of the six eliminated positions will be distributed among other ASB leaders.
The Blue and the Gold Activities Directors are the newly created positions that will be taking on the majority of responsibilities. These positions have been creatively formed to divide the responsibilities of six individual positions into two cohesive positions.
The two new Activities Directors will be primarily responsible for the planning of VU’s most recognizable events, from the All School Party to Mr. VU and everything in between. While these events will be split between the two directors, both will also be responsible for planning one concert, one midnight breakfast and various other weekend activities.
The key change that the student body will see as a result of these cuts will be a decrease in events. In past semesters, one would see constant promotions for various events while walking around campus. The goal for the future is simplicity.
“We will have a change from lots of events on a good scale to fewer events on a great scale,” said junior Bryan Binninger, Junior Class President and ASB President-Elect.
Each class will still have an event every month and there will still be concerts, just not as many.
“If people are used to a monthly concert in the Cove, they may be disappointed, but now we can bring in better artists because there will only be one per semester,” Vasquez said.
Everyone can still count on seeing the traditional big events that have been around for years. Narrowing a large number of decent small events into a few great events is anticipated to bring a higher student turnout and benefit all involved.