Despite the lack of attention to Bayboro Garden over the summer, former Gardening Club President Christian Coffey said he didn’t leave on a whim.
“When I found out I was leaving, I informed all of the members who were active over the summer in person or by phone call so they would all be ready to select a new president and vice president,” he said.
Coffey made his recommendation for naming a new leader before leaving USFSP in June 2011.
“The process of choosing a new president and vice president actually took place after I left,” Coffey said. “From what I understand, the club waited until there were enough active members to make a proper vote, which requires at least six members.”
Prior to his departure, Coffey said a small group of members were still coming in on different days to tend to the $15,000 garden.
“But we were a little overwhelmed with the workload, with a considerably smaller volunteer base,” he said.
Coffey said the Gardening Club maintains “sole responsibility of the garden.” However, the group did not tend the garden during Florida’s hottest months because “most of the club members go home in the summer,” he said.
SG had the plan for the garden, and the Gardening Club was responsible for the care, but Coffey said there was no contingency plan between SG and the club.
“I couldn’t stand up to my commitments and sometimes that happens, I mean that’s life,” he said. “I did what I could to make the best of a tough situation.”
The Gardening Club was allocated a total of $2,022.70 for spring 2011, and they used nearly all of it—$1989.64, according to SG Chief Financial Officer Alex Moser. The club spent about $900 of its total funds to attend workshops at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens to learn about gardening.
The Gardening Club received more funding in the spring semester than other clubs did for 2010-2011 school year—about $1,345, according to Moser.
This semester, the club requested $5,575, and SG’s recommendation was $915. With an additional $85 added to the recommendation, the Gardening Club’s total allocation is $1,000.
But the Gardening Club was not the only club who received less funding than requested. In the General Assembly Senate meeting on Wed. Sept. 21, SG reviewed clubs’ budget requests.
The total amount of club funding requests was $60,000. The total SG club budget available is $37,00, which SG does not want to allocate all at once. During the Sept. 21 meeting, SG President Courtney Parrish said last semester the budget requests increased, so she wanted to leave money in the account for future requests.
