Read the editorial at the top of the page to the right of this before reading this.
Welcome back. The bit about The Bona Venture going back to a weekly publication? That is thanks to an anonymous donor who generously helped clubs and other campus groups who were struggling financially with their budgets as a result of the allocation cuts last semester.
Those other groups include The Buzz, the Campus Activities Board (CAB), and intramurals and the other clubs These clubs owe thanks to the aforementioned donor. However, by keeping his or her identity unknown, clubs cannot do so.
The money was given to the Board of Trustees, then later allocated to clubs and extracurricular activities. How much money the clubs received was unique to each club based off their organizations needs for the future.
Several clubs on campus were forced to change their operations because they could not afford to operate how they have in years past.
Jackie Roberts, station manager for WSBU 88.3 The Buzz, said the budget cuts prevented them from doing activities and events they have done recently.
“I was looking at videos online from a few years ago,” Roberts said. “It was unbelievable how much more they could do. They had an event called ‘Buzzed about pink, which was all for breast cancer. They brought several bands, and it was a real big event. We could never do that.”
As poorly as the cuts reflect on the university to not be able to adequately fun their extracurricular activities, having an alumni base who is able and willing to donate enough to bring them closer to full operations speaks to the quality of people it produces.
Journalism and mass communication majors need 400 internship hours to graduate, 100 of which can be done on campus through mediums like the Buzz, Laurel or BV. If campus activities are unable to function fully, they won’t be able to service students as well as they could, which could lead to students not being able to fully involve themselves in campus acitivites.
The budget cuts impaired the clubs and other organizations from doing their jobs to the best of their ability. Club budgets go to a variety of needs including maintaining equipment, buying necessary supplies and in some cases paying and reimbursing staffers for their work.
Roberts said some good came from the cuts, but is glad to have some additional funds for this semester.
“We have to be a lot more frugal with the current budget,” she said “It slows down the process. If we need a new mic, it takes a little bit because we have to find a mic that works and is in good condition but still in our price range.
One word to describe the donation is Franciscan. Recognizing the needs of the university and its extracurriculars, the mysterious donor was able to contribute and aid the clubs in a very positive fashion at minimal to no reward for them. As we approach Thomas Merton’s 100th birthday, the values of the Franciscan tradition should be recognized and highlighted. This is a perfect example, and is appreciated very much.
Students need to remember this act as they venture from Bonaventure. Universities need donations for a number of other issues as well. The generosity of this one person helped so many. We should all want to help out Bonnies if we ever find ourself in a similar situation.
The staff of The Bona Venture would like to thank the board of trustees for the gift and extend the thanks to the anonymous donor who made it all possible.
this editorial is the opinion of The Bona Venture staff
