The committee for the 21st annual Pow-wow of Love will have to search harder this year for money because of a decreased amount of funding from ASMSU, MSU's undergraduate student government.
The North American Indigenous Student Organization, which is in charge of the powwow, requested $32,000 from ASMSU at its Jan. 22 meeting. The group received $8,000.
The Pow-wow of Love is an annual event that features traditional American-Indian heritage with drumming, singing, dancing and artwork from all over North America.
Don Lyons, Pow-wow of Love committee member and former chair, said in years past, the group has received from $15,000 to $17,000 from ASMSU.
"We're a little disappointed, but we're still grateful," the hospitality business sophomore said.
Plans still will proceed, Lyons said, but added, "It makes it a little harder."
"We don't expect the Programming Board to pay for the whole powwow," Lyons said, adding that the powwow committee does fund-raisers all summer to pay for the event. The budget for this year's program is about $40,000, he said.
Lyons said the organization only approaches ASMSU once a year to ask for money for the powwow. The group uses money budgeted by the Office of Racial Ethnic Students Affairs for all other planned events.
"When they came last year, we had a lot more in the budget," said ASMSU Vice Chairperson for Student Programming Brent Lee. "This year, they came later. There were other programs that needed to be funded."
Last year, the group asked for $17,000 in funds and received that amount, Lee said.
Melissa Petoskey, Pow-wow of Love committee co-chair, said this year's budget already was lower than the previous year's because the event was moved to the Jenison Field House, which does not charge students to use the facility.
"We thought our powwow was going to be big last year, but it ended up being smaller than we expected," she said.
Last year, the powwow took place at Breslin Center and the budget for the program was approximately $80,000. The committee had to fund-raise for the rental fee, Petoskey said.
"It was taking a lot of the students' time," Petoskey said.
The smaller budget will not affect the quality of the powwow, Petoskey said.
"We expect it to be better than last year," she said. "This is the first time it is free to students."
