A recent move by the Undergraduate Finance Committee to nearly halve the budget for "party packs" at registered parties has left the future of the program murky. Despite the popularity of party packs, which include cases of water and free Everything But Anchovies pizza, the UFC has cut the budget of the program that supplies them from $20,000 to $11,700.
The program, which was created to provide another option for non-drinkers and to keep those who choose to drink well-fed and hydrated, began in 2004 by Student Activities. The costs soon added up, however, and Student Activities decided in 2005 that it could no longer pick up the tab. The College determined that providing one water per person at registered parties was the most important aspect of the program and decided to fund the water directly with Dartmouth's budget, according to Eric Ramsey, associate director of Student Activities and the Collis Center.
This left the Greek Leadership Council, which is funded by the UFC, to cover the cost of the pizza , but the UFC's decision to allocate only $11,700 to the GLC for this purpose represents what Ramsey called "a significant cut."
Reasons for the cut are unclear, but according to Andrew Lane '09, public relations manager of the GLC, council officers are now "doing their best" to cover for it.
"We're still working with the UFC to get them to give us more money for the party packs," Lane said.
For now, the GLC plans to use undistributed money from its discretionary fund to cover the balance -- money that could be used to fund other campus-wide activities. Until the funds are found, some fraternities will have to pay for the pizza themselves.
"It's a bit more of a hassle, that as a house we have to cover an extra $150 to $200 every time we register a party, but there isn't much recourse," Chase Carpenter '08, president of Chi Gamma Epsilon fraternity, said after his house's dance party last Friday.
Ramsey said that, in some form, party packs will definitely remain a part of the registered party package.
"We implement the program based on what students want, and it's clear that they want the party packs to stay," Ramsey said.
