USG examines use of Lawnparties donation

The Pace Center has spent $88,200 of the donation on civic engagement projects and will return the remaining money to the USG, Pace Center representatives Jane Yang ’11 and Jenny Monson ’11 said at the meeting.

Students voted in spring 2009 to approve a USG referendum reallocating money from the USG social fund to the Pace Center, resulting in the cancellation of the USG-sponsored concert at Lawnparties that fall.

The largest amount, roughly $35,000, was used for Inter-Action, a three-day program held over Intersession last year that matched 130 students with 10 to 15 community partner organizations in Trenton.

The next-biggest expenses were three Breakout trips over spring break last year that sent a total of 54 students to New York City, Los Angeles and Buffalo, N.Y., for roughly $24,000.

“We wanted to make sure the money was being used to help communities that were being really affected by the economic downturn,” Yang said.

The donation also funded various projects aimed at addressing educational inequity, Monson said. Nearly $10,000 was spent on initiatives in this category, ranging from a book drive to a program bringing New York City students to Princeton’s campus.

The Pace Center spent roughly $16,500 to support individuals and student groups working on sustainability projects. More than $2,000 was spent late last spring on a dinner for seniors joining public-service programs such as Teach For America and Princeton-in-Asia.

After these expenses, the Pace Center still has $1,800 left over from the donation, which it plans to give back to the USG with the intent that the money be used for encouraging student civic engagement.

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Also at the meeting, USG vice president Sam Dorison ’11 and USG information technology committee chair Rafi Shamim ’13 presented a proposed electronic meal-exchange system, which would replace the current paper-based exchange system. The new system would allow eating club members to register meal exchanges and view their meal-exchange statuses online.

The plan for the alternative system has been designed, and the USG has begun approaching eating clubs about adopting it.

U-Councilor Steven Lindsay ’12 also discussed research conducted by the USG that could be used to make a stronger case against grade deflation to administrators. Rather than arguing about the merits of the policy in abstract terms, Lindsay said, the USG would be in a stronger position if it could cite findings from senior surveys.

USG social chair Jake Sally ’12 discussed FrostFest, a USG event held in Dillon Gymnasium on Friday that drew hundreds of students for free food, a cappella performances and the sculpting of a life-size ice tiger. The event was largely successful, Sally said, but he also admitted that the event had some “hiccups,” including 800 leftover cookies.

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The USG Senate also approved the creation of three new student groups: Princeton Corporate Finance Club; Princeton Relay for Life, which plans to organize an event with the American Cancer Society; and Princeton Philosophy Review, which hopes to create a website dedicated to the subject.