Student Government approved $2,485 for the Diwali event held by the Indian Student Association (ISA) and appointed several senators to committees during Wednesday night’s Senate meeting.
The ISA requested additional funding this year, as the event is planned to be larger than it has previously been.
“We are planning to have it much bigger in scale as compared to previous years,” Saeshu Karthika, vice president of ISA, said.
The expected rise in attendance is due to the event’s relocation to the Great Hall in the Memorial Union, which previously took place in the Ames City Hall off campus.
“We find that the Great Hall, being a venue, has been more accessible to students and members of the general public because of bus services, and on top of that, we’ve seen a small spike in attendance for our other events this semester,” Karthika said.
The Diwali event saw 475 attendees last year, and an estimated 400 to 600 people are expected to attend this year.
The event will be held Sunday at the MU. Flyers for the event will go up Friday.
Peter Adams, president of the Chemistry Outreach club, attended the public forum to speak to the Senate about refusing to pass a bill allowing additional funding for Winterfest at ISU.
Adams highlighted how food prices have increased 25% from 2019 to 2023 and how this has restricted how much food event organizers can provide. Adams stated he feels the additional cost of food is worth it to properly fund the event.
“Winterfest contributes to Iowa State’s brand, strengthens connections between the university and the wider Ames community, and provides a space for students to de-stress before the gruel of prep week,” Adams said.
“I ask that you reassess your decision not to fund this bill,” Adams said. “Winterfest is an amazing tradition here at ISU, but they cannot do what they do without proper financial support.”
Five new senators were appointed to three different Student Government committees Wednesday.
Izzy Phillips, Nick Manniello and Abhiraj Agarwal were appointed to the legislative ambassadors Committee.
Phillips is double majoring in human resource management and international business. She has lobbied at Congress for the past two years for Breakthrough T1D.
Manniello is a sophomore majoring in criminal justice with minors in psychology and political science. He is from a small town in Chile and wants to be on the committee to help out as thanks for the services ISU has provided him.
“Iowa State has lent me the hand that I needed when I first came here,” Manniello said. “I had virtually nothing, and you guys helped me all the way.”
Agarwal is a sophomore double majoring in management information systems and supply chain management. He found the committee’s legislative priorities interesting and wants to join the committee to “gain more insight.”
Ayden James was seated as a senator for the Sustainability Committee. James is a freshman majoring in civil engineering with an environmental emphasis. He wants to join the committee “to better the sustainability committee and its efforts.”
“Sustainability is very important, and we should spend a lot of time making sure that things will be able to continue as they do,” James said.
Seated as a senator for the Agriculture Life Sciences Committee was Ryker Markus, a freshman majoring in agricultural and life sciences education. When asked to describe himself in one word, Markus answered “dedicated.”
