CAP board puzzled by lack of turn-out

ANDREW MATYSIK STAFFWRITER AJM722@CABRINI EDU

The Campus Activities and Programming Board remains puzzled as to why Cabrini student participation at their events is not up to their standards. The lingering dilemma for the CAP board is that students commonly complain to them about how there is a lack of activities to do on campus. However, when the CAP board decides to increase the number of events, few people show up.

There are seven to 10 events held per semester by the CAP board. Each event costs in the price range of around $2,000. The money is allocated to the CAPboard by the Board of Trustees at Cabrini.

Amy Hecht, the assistant director of student activities, oversees CAPboard productivity. She has noticed the low student participation and the constant fleeing home on the weekends by students.

Hecht stated that they were debating over how to spend the money for student activity.

“It’s either we spend more money on fewer events, or we continue to spend less money and have a greater number of events,” Hecht said. Hecht stated that this is something that the students must decide.

Justin Walsh, a junior history major, feels that the events would be better if more money was spent for fewer occasions. Walsh said that more money for fewer events would contribute to higher student awareness for events.

The president of the CAP board, Michael Sofia, believes the board holds many high quality events. In response to the low student attendance, Sofia feels that students do not attend the activities because they are not interested in the acts. However, the CAPboard plans their events according to student evaluations.

“It is our understanding that the events we are bringing to campus are what the students want,” Sofia said. The question of why students don’t attend events still goes unanswered.

Jackie Tomasco, a junior criminal justice major, voiced her opinion about the matter. “With more money spent, people would stay at the events longer because it wouldn’t look cheap and thrown together. I hope they do this because I love to dance,”

Tomasco said.

So far this year there was a record 400 people at the “Welcome Back” dance. This record number does not mean the dance was worthwhile, according to freshman Brian Clark.

“I went to the dance and there couldn’t have been more that 30 people in there,” Clark said. This caused immediate disapproval by Clark and resulted in a 10-minute stay A short stay was a common theme for the night of the welcome back dance.

Acommon complaint among questioned Cabrini students was that there is no alcohol served at the events. This however, is not the purpose of the CAPboard dell, ultimately bringing the feud to an end. “It’s a security reason because this is where the governor and his people will be walking by,” Fegeley said. The students reconvened along the commons.

“The CAPboard purpose is to provide the Cabrini student with an alternative to drinking,” Hecht said. As a result of this policy, it is safe to say thirsty Cabrini students will not see alcohol served at CAP board activities.

Putting alcohol aside, the conclusion reached by gathering student opinion overwhelmingly resulted in a recommendation for more money spent on fewer events.

Escorted by Iadarola, Rendell is greeted by Scoles, singer/songwriter Carole King and actress Melissa Fitzgerald.

Speaking briefly of Kerry’s views on the cost of education, tax cuts and healthcare, Rendell also emphasized that many of Bush’s plans had good intentions, they just lacked the appropriate action and legislation.

John Holloway, a senior English and communication major, was pleased with Rendell’s visit. “I thought it was great. He didn’t disrespect the other party at all, he showed compassion for Bush’s plans and he just told us how we can go about Bush’s plans better and do Bush’s plans better than he’s doing them. He’s not saying Bush is a bad person or a bad man, he’s just saying that Bush had good ideas, he just didn’t know how to get them to work and that John Kerry does.”

Rendell’s presence evoked a sort of nostalgia from Iadarola. “From my perspective I was excited, it was reminiscent to the days of JFK. I worked for his campaign, although I was not old enough to vote for him. I could remember he looked down at me, and I was jumping all over the place because I was on television and everything, and he said, ‘You look great.’That experience is always something I will remember and I’m hoping the student’s today will have caught some of that excitement, and more importantly, exercise their privilege to vote. Whether they vote for either candidate is their personal decision, but I like what Rendell said, ‘It’s the power of the vote’ and we can exercise that privilege. Alot of people died for us to have it and we can’t take it for granted,” Iadarola said.