Odds without ends
Balancing the budget
Gregory Leporati, Editor-in-Chief
Issue date: 1/21/09 Section: Editor Columns
The final day of class last semester on the Queens Campus ended with a bang - an overwhelming, elaborate, and perhaps even ostentatious bang.
Of course, I'm talking about the University Tree Lighting Ceremony and Fireworks Show on the Great Lawn, the usual conclusion to the annual Winter Carnival. And this year's event went above and beyond any others I've seen on campus, providing an enormous light show that flashed across St. Augustine Hall, in addition to the typical fireworks display and Christmas lights strung around campus.
But while the Tree Lighting Ceremony was certainly an impressive moment in St. John's history, I couldn't help but ask myself a question I'm sure others wondered: just how much did this all cost?
According to Student Government, Inc. President Dana Lezama, the carnival "probably cost around $20,000 more" than the previous year's. She also told me that the light show - in addition to other improvements, like a new sound system - ran around $30,000 alone.
SGI spearheaded the event, spending a great deal of its own money on the display, while other on-campus groups, such as the Office of Facilities, the Office of the President, and Campus Activities, also contributed money and support.
Though I could not obtain a concrete number on how much the entire carnival cost, I'd wager it was in the tens of thousands, most likely more than $40,000.
That number, given the economic recession and the way it has and will continue to impact the University, left me a bit baffled.
Just days prior to the start of the annual Winter Carnival, I had heard rumors that St. John's was considering wide-sweeping budget cuts and hiring freezes in light of the economic crisis.
Though these rumors have proven to be false, I've learned that the school undoubtedly is taking measures to watch its economic standing.
According to University Provost Dr. Julia Upton, St. John's is urging its departments to keep a tight lid on their budgets, though explicitly stated budget cuts are not being implemented.
Of course, I'm talking about the University Tree Lighting Ceremony and Fireworks Show on the Great Lawn, the usual conclusion to the annual Winter Carnival. And this year's event went above and beyond any others I've seen on campus, providing an enormous light show that flashed across St. Augustine Hall, in addition to the typical fireworks display and Christmas lights strung around campus.
But while the Tree Lighting Ceremony was certainly an impressive moment in St. John's history, I couldn't help but ask myself a question I'm sure others wondered: just how much did this all cost?
According to Student Government, Inc. President Dana Lezama, the carnival "probably cost around $20,000 more" than the previous year's. She also told me that the light show - in addition to other improvements, like a new sound system - ran around $30,000 alone.
SGI spearheaded the event, spending a great deal of its own money on the display, while other on-campus groups, such as the Office of Facilities, the Office of the President, and Campus Activities, also contributed money and support.
Though I could not obtain a concrete number on how much the entire carnival cost, I'd wager it was in the tens of thousands, most likely more than $40,000.
That number, given the economic recession and the way it has and will continue to impact the University, left me a bit baffled.
Just days prior to the start of the annual Winter Carnival, I had heard rumors that St. John's was considering wide-sweeping budget cuts and hiring freezes in light of the economic crisis.
Though these rumors have proven to be false, I've learned that the school undoubtedly is taking measures to watch its economic standing.
According to University Provost Dr. Julia Upton, St. John's is urging its departments to keep a tight lid on their budgets, though explicitly stated budget cuts are not being implemented.
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