At the Feb. 23 SGA meeting, the senate passed a bill to fund ROAR Daze, a week of student-focused events and programming that will happen the week of April 10.
Student Life will host several events alongside the following multicultural clubs: the African Student Association (ASA), the Native American Student Alliance (NASA), the Asian Pacific Islander Student Union (APISU), the Indian Student Alliance (ISA) and the Latinx Student Union (LSU).
SB-24 allocates $20,000 to pay for each organization to host their event. Every club will be given up to $4,000 to spend on any necessary items for the events, but the clubs will have to go through the Budget Advisory Committee (BAC) to be approved.
Student Director of Finance Kevin Velasco authored the bill, emphasizing that the senators on the BAC and the organizations involved in running ROAR Daze will abide by SGA and BAC funding guidelines throughout the entire event planning process.
“It is important that you all consider this bill because it seeks to provide funding for a week of programming that is very limited in capacity in terms of funding today … This bill is imperative for the successful operation and the successful management of these multicultural events,” Velasco said.
Student Life’s director of student engagement Stephen Cucchiara also spoke on the bill: “These multicultural clubs showcase their culture and customs in these events. Last year, they did it, and this year has gotten even bigger,” Cucchiara said.
Cucchiara noted that all the multicultural programs will be run by students, and Student Life will be there to promote and guide the students on background logistics.
Senator-at-Large Isabella Polombo expressed her support for the bill. “I think this bill gives the opportunity for other students on campus to explore more in depth the cultural explorations that are featured on this campus,” Polombo said.
The events are as follows:
- Monday, April 10– A club sports Field Day will take place on the West Lawn, and Campus Recreation will host a dodgeball tournament.
- Tuesday, April 11- Student Life will be presenting their annual drag show performance.
- Wednesday, April 12- NASA will host a large cultural celebration that will be similar to but larger than the PowWow event.
- Thursday, April 13- The APISU will hold their annual Fusion event. It will feature student cultural performances, including a performance from the Kalama Polynesian Dancers.
- Friday, April 14 – LSU will host “La Fiesta” on this day.
- Saturday, April 15- ISA will host “Holi,” which is a significant festival in India and parts of South Asia. The ASA will also be hosting an event on this day called “Journey to Africa.”