A funding request for next weekend's "Block Party" generated enough controversy at Wednesday's Bowdoin Student Government (BSG) meeting to send the assembly into an hour-and-a-half long executive session, during which all non-voting members were required to leave the meeting.
In addition, several BSG members showed up to the meeting visibly intoxicated, some with red Solo cups in hand.
In an e-mail, BSG President Dustin Brooks '08 told the Orient that the warm weather and Ivies Weekend "may have had an impact" on the meeting.
However, in an e-mail sent to the entire BSG assembly, Brooks was more critical.
"Tonight's meeting was bad," he wrote. "We do all need to relax and get away from BSG for the weekend, but after the weekend, I want us to figure out why this process worked out the way it did."
"There's been a bit of duplicity, a bit of incompetence and a lot of confusion," he added.
BSG ultimately approved the $2,000 Block Party request, which will be added to the $3,500 that the assembly approved in February.
"The meeting became more complicated than expected when we had to sort out some issues that were about individual members," Brooks added, "which meant we had to go into executive session."
A BSG member, who was granted anonymity, told the Orient that one of the principal topics of discussion during the executive session was miscommunication within the assembly.
BSG Treasurer and Student Activities Funding Committee Chair Nicole Willey '08 said during the meeting that the Block Party "was presented to [SAFC] differently than it is being presented now."
In an e-mail, Willey wrote that SAFC allocated funding to BSG for Block Party food "with the assumption that in order for the event to be successful, the BSG really needed the funding."
A budget report in Wednesday's meeting packet lists BSG's unallocated funds as $4,857.
"This is an example of how miscommunication can really affect the planning of an event," Willey wrote in the e-mail.
"I've seen great events get executed by fabulous leaders on a much tighter budget and think sometimes we forget how lucky we are to have so much funding at our fingertips," she added.
During the meeting, Alison Spencer '08 said, "I don't see why both a Friday night event and Thursday can't happen with $3,500," referring to BSG's February allocation.
In response, Greg Tabak '11 said, "I don't see why we're arguing about the money. We have the money."
Agreeing with Tabak, Sam Kamin '08 said that the event organizers, Isa Abney '11 and Samantha Scully '09, "put something together and it looks to be a successful event... Let's get the money out."
While John Connolly '11 suggested reducing the $2,000 request to $1,300, a motion to vote on the bill led to a 12-10 vote of approval.
Despite the disputes and lengthy executive session, many BSG members are excited about the party.
"I'm excited for the event and think now that when all is said and done the BSG will come together and support the multicultural groups and performers involved," Willey wrote.
"We're psyched to listen to great music, eat great food, and enjoy a spring night in Maine," Dan Levis '10 wrote in an e-mail.
Before debating the Block Party request, BSG discussed an amendment to its constitution in order to create a Coordinating Committee, a "special body under the Leadership Council to deal with issues that overlap between the BSG Assembly and Class Officers," reads the official document.
The amendment states that the Coordinating Committee will consist of all members of the Leadership Council and one other representative from each of the four classes, as well as three additional BSG Assembly representatives to be selected by their respective memberships.
As far as purpose, the committee will approve or reject all proposed changes to class governance and "make a recommendation to the BSG Assembly regarding all proposed removals or replacements of Class Officers," according to the document.
Brooks wrote that BSG's approval of the amendment "will conclude our discussions about reforming the Class Councils."
Despite the tone of Wednesday's meeting, Brooks wrote, "BSG members have been consistently responsible this year, as evidenced by the fact that we had only one absence and that everyone there was ready for the work we had to do."