Last night, Budget Review Committee Chair Michael Benson held a public forum to discuss the allotment of almost $200,000 to the Council of University Programs.

CUP requested this amount, among the largest ever, to put on SpringFest. This request came after annual moans and groans over a lack of big name acts on campus.

But last year, SGA lobbied for an increase in the Student Activities Fee. The organization said with more money available, student groups would have the ability to sign big name acts.

The SAF increase passed and now the BRC is working with more than a million dollars in its budget. The problem is not the money. Most students could care less about Student Government funding priorities. It’s a simple minded approach from the majority of the student body: We want a quality act. That’s all. They’ve been asking for one for years.

The problem is politics within the Student Government. Yes, $200,000 is a large portion of the budget. But SpringFest is also a large, annual event at Northeastern. An event that historically has drawn mediocre acts and dismal displays of participation.

Benson has countered though, saying he held the forum to ensure that the students’ money is being handled appropriately. The issue now is two-fold.

One, CUP President Tom Kneafsy was not informed of the forum. It was only after speaking to a News reporter that he became aware of Benson’s plan. Though he understands the validity of the forum, he feels frustrated at an apparent catch-22.

“For many years we’ve been told that SpringFest wasn’t big enough. Now, the money is there to make it big but we’re being told the request is too much,” Kneafsy said before the forum. “The concert is going to have so many hurdles anyway, with landing an act and getting security and what not. We didn’t expect a student hurdle too.”

The second issue is the lack of publicity on both sides of this debate. First off, Benson’s concern is that CUP has not adequately been advertising not only SpringFest related planning, but other events in general, thus, resulting in low student interest. However, unless you reside in the “inner circle” of SGA, you are most likely not hearing about this forum until now. Impressive, huh?

You see, now Benson has covered himself on all angles. He has given all who might protest a “chance” to voice their opinions. In theory, no one can approach him now about the fairness of this granting of money.

But who really suffers? A problem still rests in how this money is being spent, if at all, and the idea that the students really got a voice in the matter is laughable.

It’s time student politics really came back to the students. SGA should be appealing to the sensationalist aspect of this “drama” if they want students to get involved. You ask students whether they want big name acts like Outkast (being rumored) or someone who hasn’t had a single within your adult life (like usual) and they’ll get involved.

But, your chance to complain was last night, didn’t you hear? Oh well, maybe next year.