Christina Strong
November 22, 2010
Zombie Week
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christina48221@yahoo.com
By Christina Strong
The Finance Committee of the Associated Students of Michigan State University passed a bill Thursday introducing Zombie Week, a game of tag between humans and people labeled as Zombies. The committee allocated $20 to the event, a significant reduction from the original $1,000 asked for by two of the committee members for the event, which is tentatively scheduled for November.
The $20 was approved after a debate on whether the event would benefit ASMSU’s brand awareness campaign and if the limited funds of Special Projects should be utilized to fund the event.
Special Projects, a division of ASMSU that gives money to other projects would lead Zombie Week. Angela Orzell, the Comptroller for ASMSU at Thursday’s meeting, said Special Projects’ current funds are estimated at $3,000. The $1,000 if allocated would have been a third of Special Projects’ budget.
ASMSU’s goal of building awareness about the student government on campus was implemented at its retreat this pass summer. Igor Shleypak and Isaac Standish, ASMSU Finance Committee members presented the event Zombie Week as a bill at Thursday’s meeting. Shleypak and Standish said they hope the event will contribute to ASMSU’s goal. “I hope it increases awareness. People seem to be unaware we exist or even the services we provide,” Shleypak said.
ASMSU has taken other initiatives for building the organization’s recognition by establishing solid logos, patterns and styles that would be identical throughout all marketing efforts said Christopher Schotten, ASMSU Student Assembly Chairperson. Christopher Weed and Brad Sappington, both students at Goucher College in Baltimore, Maryland, invented the game Zombie Week in 2005. The game has recently been played by Western Michigan University.
Ben Wernette, the Vice Chair of the Finance Committee has insisted the funds be allocated to other events Special Projects support instead of Zombie Week. “I do not think Special Projects could be used, but I don’t think the bill should be supported fiscally,” Wernette said.
Orzell wrote in an email the funds for Special Projects are limited. “Special Projects changes year to year and are based on first-come, first-serve basis, but it seems to me deal with helping fund charity or volunteer events.”
A series of past events have reduced the funds available to support new projects for 2010.
“I cannot really speculate on the current amount of special projects as we are looking into an issue that was not addressed last year where RCL may have been getting a larger rollover than needed and some of that money may get moved to SP this year.” Orzell wrote.
Zombie Week will depend on if Special Projects has enough money to fund the event or if the funds could be allocated elsewhere. If funding is not available, Shleypak and Standish said they will look at alternative ways of bringing Zombie Week to campus.
“Most likely we will try to go through alternative sources for funding or do it for lesser funds,” Standish said.
The next general meeting on Nov. 4 for ASMSU will be when the Finance Committee will make their final vote on whether Zombie Week receives more funding, which can be the whole $1,000 or a reduced amount.
If Zombie Week does not receive adequate funding Shleypak and Standish said they will withdraw the bill and introduce the bill again in the spring.
*** Story written and reported for a Journalism Class at Michigan State University
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States where colleges have had Zombie Weeks on their campus including: Western Michigan University in Michigan, Alfred University in New York, Ball State University in Indiana and Goucher College in Maryland.
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