By: Victoria Keraj
Undergraduate Student Government (USG) President Cyle Paul sent an email to club leaders regarding public safety event costs that could hinder USG’s ability to fund club events. Namely, the requirement for a public safety officer to be present at events labeled as “parties”.
The Brooklyn College (BC) student body was made aware of the requirement on Oct. 6 by email and an accompanying Instagram post, which stated, “[…] these additional costs place a significant burden on Undergraduate Student Government and limit our ability to fully support your events.”
Kelsey Ganthier, President of the BC Black Student Union (BSU), expressed frustrations with USG no longer covering the public safety cost initially approved for a Halloween party planned in collaboration with the Caribbean Student Union (CSU).
“At first, we were told that public safety costs would be covered. Everything was approved. Then out of nowhere, we received an email saying that USG would no longer fund those costs,” Ganthier said. “What doesn’t make sense is that they claimed this was something they’d been planning since the summer. If that’s true, how was our event already approved under the previous rules? And why are we being told after we’ve already moved forward with planning?”
While the original announcement did affirm that USG has “been meeting with administration since the summer to push for relief on [the] issue,” the statement ended encouraging clubs “to plan strategically and consider fundraising efforts to help offset […] inflated costs.”
Ganthier expressed concern that the announcements’ focus on events labeled as “parties” was explicitly targeted at Black clubs and shared that CSU and The Blaze Team recently also had funding revoked.
“It’s not just us — the Caribbean Student Union and the Blaze Dance Team were also planning events that suddenly got denied. It feels like we’re being targeted,” said Ganthier. “Black clubs are the ones that typically host parties — the ones students actually attend — and now we’re the ones being told we can’t afford to host them because of ‘safety costs.’ A public safety fee of $1,500–$1,800 is impossible to cover with small fundraisers. It feels like the school doesn’t want us to have these events at all, and that’s unfair because our parties and gatherings are about culture, joy, and community — not just ‘partying.’
Abigail Edouard, president of CSU, shared the same concern that the “tone of that [announcement] felt targeted,” and a similar frustration with the process of securing funds from USG for club events.
“It’s impossible to ignore the pattern. Black and cultural clubs have repeatedly had to fight harder for funding, while others are granted leniency and approval with ease. In past years, at least there was an opportunity to discuss or appeal funding decisions. This year, that communication has been replaced with silence,” Edouard expressed to The Vanguard.
Ganthier expressed that securing funding this year has been particularly frustrating, citing a lack of communication she stated was present in previous years. “I’ve been in leadership for three years now — two years as President and 1 year as Vice President. Comparing then to now, there’s been a clear shift. In the past, things were more open and collaborative. We could have conversations about our budgets and find solutions together. Now, it feels like everything is rigid, like decisions are being made behind closed doors with no explanation,” she stated.
When asked how the new funding policy might affect club plans moving forward, Ganthier stated, “If this continues, the Halloween party might be the last major BSU event we can host this semester, which is really disappointing.”
When asked about club safety costs, Paul told The Vanguard no new information could be shared at the time, but stated “USG is working hard to make sure a solution can be made to not only save student engagement but boost it in the short term.”
An email sent out on Oct.14 updating the BC community on upcoming USG events ended with Paul implying news on funding for club leaders to look forward to later this year.