The independent student newspaper of Northeastern University

The Huntington News

The independent student newspaper of Northeastern University

The Huntington News

The independent student newspaper of Northeastern University

The Huntington News

Editorial: Media mayhem

The Budget Review Committee (BRC) is responsible for allocating funds from the Student Activities Fee, a $1.7 million pool of money paid for by the students, for the students. During the past year, this sub-committee of the Student Government Association (SGA) has funded hundreds of T-shirts for groups to give away, thousands of dollars in promotional materials for single-night events, and various other equipment it has deemed necessary for student groups to put on entertainment and educational and cultural programs.

However, when it comes to funding two new computers for two growing student-run publications, the BRC has put its foot down.

The conservative student-run publication, the Northeastern Patriot, and the student-run music industry magazine, Tastemakers, may not appeal to every Northeastern student, but each produces a free product for all students.

Stephen Asay, interim chair of the Media Board Finance Committee, boiled down the rational behind the BRC’s denial of the capital fund requests: Both groups “need more time to ‘prove’ themselves.”

But this logic seems flawed. Tastemakers, which put out issues in October, December and February, is the brain-child of the Northeastern chapter of the Music and Entertainment Industry Student Association (MEISA), the same group that recently won the national award for Chapter of the Year at their annual conference.

And while The Patriot may have hit some potholes along the road to becoming a recognized media publication, it was officially recognized as a student group more than a year ago. After a year of working on personal laptops and borrowed software and equipment, how can the BRC expect The Patriot to grow and prove themselves without something as essential as their own computer?

Perhaps Tastemakers and the Patriot should begin by trying to request funding for giveaways and materials to promote the publications that they don’t yet have the proper equipment to produce.

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