Students seeking money for a special project through the President’s Initiative Fund may want to look to the event planners in the Harborside Activities Board for advice. By presenting well-researched and achievable ideas, two HAB members will see their proposals realized.
The selection committee approved the rental of a mechanical bull for the Homecoming Carnival on Oct. 24. Think “Urban Cowboy,” not “Wild, Wild West.” Anna Zapor submitted the $1,106.38 proposal and offered to organize and implement the attraction along with her other duties as a Homecoming organizer.
For sparkly vampires and those that love them, the committee also approved $1,740 to rent out a theater at Baywalk for the opening night of “Twilight.” Fran
k Mathis, the event proposer, said the event was geared toward “anyone who likes ‘Twilight.’ Girls mostly.”
The Harborside Activities Board is a special student organization that plans most of the university’s signature student events, including the Homecoming Masquerade Ball.
During the inaugural meeting of the five-member president’s committee, members debated feasibility, cost and potential attendance before selecting the two winners. Ultimately, the ideas backed by the most research, including actual price quotes, appealed to the committee members.
After more than three hours of deliberation, the members individually selected their two favorite proposals. The homecoming mechanical bull and a battle of the bands proposed by USF Sarasota-Manatee Student President and USFSP student Andrew Gould were the initial selections. The concert, with a proposed price tag of $5,000, was shelved based on the amount of uncertainty and lack of specific costs.
An idea to create a breakfast cereal buffet and cartoon lounge, proposed by members of the Cartoon Club, had its fans but was considered too much like an idea for a club. There were also lingering questions about the cost and difficulty of maintaining a food service, which would have required consent from campus dining provider Sodexo.
As the process is refined and the first projects are launched, the committee may be more willing to go bigger, committee members said.
The $30,000 President’s Initiative Fund was created from a portion of unspent activity and service fee from the last academic year. The Senate approved the fund during the summer session, giving the student body president the power to appoint four other members to the selection committee.
Student President Mark Lombardi-Nelson said he wanted a diverse group of knowledgeable and campus-connected stakeholders to comprise the committee. Standing members are Angellina Bruno, a freshman and secretary of the Entrepreneurship Club, Ren LaForme, Editor-in-Chief of The Crow’s Nest, Lauren Dakers, president of the Harborside Activities Board and Austin Piazza from St. Pete SociaBulls. Each member, including Lombardi-Nelson, has an equal vote.
Each month, the committee will make available $5,000 for the purpose of special events, projects and tradition-building. Remaining balances will roll over into the next month. Applications not accepted can be modified and re-submitted.
Contact Lombardi-Nelson at mark7@mail.usf.edu for more information on applying for the grant.
