By Emma WestRasmus

For Ellen Washington ’13 and Mayo Sonko ’13, planning a month’s worth of events for Macalester’s celebration of February as Black History Month seemed daunting enough. But when the Black History Month Committee co-chairs found out that they were only going to receive $2,500 of the $17,000 they requested from the Macalester College Student Government’s Financial Affairs Committee in their budget, they were forced to cancel the keynote speech and the step show, both scheduled for February. “It was a pretty hard hit,” Washington said.

Though the BHM committee has managed to piece together nearly $10,000, which will bring back the step show and will fund a less costly keynote speaker, they have substantially fewer resources than they did last Black History Month. Last February, the BHM committee had an operating budget of $30,000, which went towards features including an artist-in-residence and a keynote speaker.

According to FAC chair Daimon Hardy ’13, a surge in student org funding requests was partly responsible for BHM receiving less than 15 percent of their desired funds. Hardy said student orgs requested $165,000 in their budgets for spring 2011, but the FAC only had $65,000 to spread around more than 100 groups who submitted budgets last November.

“I don’t think any org got the amount they requested,” Hardy said. “Would it be fair to give one student org almost half of the budget? We have to treat each org equally.”

MCSG President Owen Truesdell ’11acknowledged that the BHM committee did get “hit harder initially” in the budgeting process, but said BHM was still was one of the highest funded student orgs on campus.

BHM was not the only organization to face substantial funding shortfalls. According to Hardy, Adelante requested $8,655.95 and got $835.95, Mac Anime got $100 of the $709 they budgeted, and AFRIKA left the table with no funding.

Despite working with just a third of the funding they had last year, and about half of what they had initially requested from MCSG last semester for their spring 2011 budget, the BHM committee has secured additional funding from Program Board, The Office of Student Affairs, Campus Programs, the DML and additional allocations from MCSG. The committee has a full month of programming planned, including a movie screening, a panel discussion, a step show, and a keynote address by author, activist and faculty member at UMass Amherst, Ekwueme Michael Thelwell.

“I’m sad it had to come to us whining and complaining to get [funding],” Washington said. “But at least Black History Month is happening.”

Despite the funding setbacks that had the potential to derail the month’s programming, the BHM committee co-chairs are optimistic about the events ahead.

“The monetary value doesn’t determine the quality of the month,” Washington said. “I think it’ll go well even though it’s not exactly what we planned or what we had last year.”

Washington and Sonko emphasized their desire for a wide range of Macalester community members to get involved in the BHM events.

“There are a lot of students under the impression that [Black History Month] events are only open to certain people,” Sonko said.

To attract students that don’t normally attend BHM programming, Washington said the BHM committee has been working on 1-on-1 invitations, and they hope the events are well attended by a wide variety of students, faculty and staff.

However some students are left wondering if the college is doing enough for Black History Month, and though Hardy lauded the work done by the BHM committee, he questioned the amount of responsibility placed on the organization for crafting and finding funding for the month’s activities.

“It shouldn’t be the responsibility of one student org for all Black History Month,” Hardy said. “This is basically Mac’s Black History Month presented by a student org. It would be beneficial if the college had other ways of funding and running [Black History Month] events besides putting it all on students.”

Truesdell echoed Hardy, and said that the planning of month’s events and the scramble for funds “is a bit of an undue burden” on the BHM committee.

“We didn’t get the support we needed till we made a little noise,” Sonko said. “It’s hurtful being almost forgotten.”

“I don’t think any org got the amount they requested,” Hardy said. “Would it be fair to give one student org almost half of the budget? We have to treat each org equally.”

MCSG President Owen Truesdell ’11 acknowledged that the BHM committee did get “hit harder initially” in the budgeting process, but said BHM was still was one of the highest funded student orgs on campus.

BHM was not the only organization to face substantial funding shortfalls. According to Hardy, Adelante requested $8,655.95 and got $835.95, Mac Anime got $100 of the $709 they budgeted, and Afrika left the table with no funding.

Despite working with just a third of the funding they had last year, and about half of what they had initially requested from MCSG last semester for their Spring 2011 budget, the BHM committee has secured additional funding from Program Board, the Office of Student Affairs, Campus Programs, the Department of Multicultural Life and additional allocations from MCSG. The committee has a full month of programming planned, including a movie screening, a panel discussion, a step show, and a keynote address by author, activist and faculty member at UMass Amherst, Ekwueme Michael Thelwell.

“I’m sad it had to come to us whining and complaining to get [funding],” Washington said. “But at least Black History Month is happening.”

Despite the funding setbacks that had the potential to derail the month’s programming, the BHM committee co-chairs are optimistic about the events ahead.

“The monetary value doesn’t determine the quality of the month,” Washington said. “I think it’ll go well even though it’s not exactly what we planned or what we had last year.”

Washington and Sonko emphasized their desire for a wide range of Macalester community members to get involved in the BHM events.

“There are a lot of students under the impression that [Black History Month] events are only open to certain people,” Sonko said.

To attract students that don’t normally attend BHM programming, Washington said the BHM committee has been working on 1-on-1 invitations, and they hope the events are well attended by a wide variety of students, faculty and staff.

Nevertheless, some students are left wondering if the college is doing enough for Black History Month, and though Hardy lauded the work done by the BHM committee, he questioned the amount of responsibility placed on the organization for crafting and finding funding for the month’s activities.

“It shouldn’t be the responsibility of one student org for all Black History Month,” Hardy said. “This is basically Mac’s Black History Month presented by a student org. It would be beneficial if the college had other ways of funding and running [Black History Month] events besides putting it all on students.”

Truesdell echoed Hardy’s comments, and said that the planning of month’s events and the scramble for funds “is a bit of an undue burden” on the BHM committee.

“We didn’t get the support we needed till we made a little noise,” Sonko said. “It’s hurtful being almost forgotten.