ASMSU is voting Oct. 11 whether or not to allocate an additional $7,000 to the organization’s Student Tailgate budget which may bring the total to $15,000.
In the summer, ASMSU set aside $8,000 for the tailgate festivities that take place at the Wilson Road tennis courts before every home football game.
The bill states ASMSU started tailgate planning “with intent on receiving the rest (of the money) from Student Assembly in the fall.”
Three home games into the season, Nigel Scarlett, Student Assembly vice chairperson for external affairs, is asking for the money out of the Special Projects budget.
“(The money) is going to fund the games and the DJ,” Scarlett said.
The Special Projects budget is made up of rollover money from the previous year’s budget.
Juan Carlos Elizalde, Student Assembly vice chairperson for internal affairs, said he has “no real idea” how much is in the Special Projects budget.
“Less than ($200,000) but more than ($50,000),” Elizalde said.
ASMSU is MSU’s undergraduate student government.
Each home game, ASMSU rents out games, such as a gladiator joust and a Velcro wall, as well as blow-up structures, like giant twister and bouncy boxing.
Human resource management senior Valerie Beauduy said she prefers to tailgate off campus. Plus, she said the blow-up activities don’t grab her attention.
“I think (Student Tailgate) has good intentions, but it acts as if we are children,” Beauduy said. “We are in college, and sure, we like to jump around on big bouncy things once in a while, but not every single week. I think it caters more to alumni and their children rather than students.”
Scarlett has not attended a Student Assembly meeting since Aug. 30 but said he plans on attending Oct. 11’s meeting. He said he will be showing the representatives how much everything costs, with quotes, and why $7,000 is an appropriate amount.
He refused to comment on whether his legal issues have become a burden on fulfilling his duties with ASMSU.
Scarlett was arrested July 5 and charged with aggravated assault. He is waiting on a second pretrial hearing.
Elizalde said the $7,000 is not the finalized amount, as ASMSU could need more or less funding, after discussing it as a group.
Physiology sophomore Haritha Reddy said the additional money could be spent differently, with something more fun and practical.
“They could organize a football game between the two competing schools and have students play in it,” she said.
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