Items on the budget include six Avalanche pizzas, posters, makeup kits for drag show participants, the DJ cost for the Jackie O’s dance party and $1,000 to pay the travel expenses for guest speaker Kristo Gobin.
Ohio University Student Senate will propose a budget at Wednesday’s meeting to fund makeup kits, a nacho bar and a dance party at Jackie O’s, among other items, in support of Pride Week.
Pride Week will take place March 7 to 11. It typically features about seven activities over the course of a week. Last year, during the first week of March, senate had not reserved a guest speaker or compiled a budget for the celebration, resulting in a Pride Week that only had one event.
“Last year, students had kind of an outcry when these events weren’t happening,” Gabby Bacha, senate president, said. “Take Back the Night was a big deal last year, however not everyone was happy with how the process was conducted. People in the community were upset that Pride Week wasn’t planned, especially because we are the people to be representing those groups.”
Programming weeks like Pride Week are traditionally Student Senate's responsibility.
“We have the ability and the people to put on programs, which is great, but also we have people like myself and others within my commission that are specifically tied to this community,” Paige Klatt, LGBTQA commissioner, said.
This year, Pride Week will begin in the senate office with a meet-and-greet that includes a nacho bar. Senate has budgeted $225, or $4.50 per person for 50 people, to pay for the event.
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Other items on the budget include six Avalanche pizzas, posters, makeup kits for drag show participants, the DJ cost for the Jackie O’s dance party and $1,000 to pay the travel expenses for guest speaker Kristo Gobin. Gobin tours universities with a performance piece called “That’s So Gay!”
“I think this is a way that senate can give back to the community, especially since last year we didn’t have a lot of programming going on unfortunately,” Klatt said.
Also at Wednesday’s meeting, senate will hear presentations about the Good Works Walk and D.C. Networking Week.
Following commissioner reports, the body will go into executive session to evaluate the work of Bacha, Vice President Jared Ohnsman and Treasurer Hannah Clouser.
This week, senate will not vote on a tabled resolution to create referendums that would allow students to vote directly on some campus-wide issues. Abigail Fairbanks, senate’s chief of staff, expects the vote will take place at senate's Feb. 10 general body meeting.
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