SRA to vote on increased spending for Homecoming this weekend

**TRIGGER WARNING: This article contains information about sexual assault and/or violence which may be triggering to survivors.**

McMaster’s Homecoming could be getting an upgrade, pending a Student Representative Assembly vote on Jun 19.

The McMaster Students Union released a proposal on June 15 outlining a $25,000 capital expense that would be part of a larger $226,000 budget. Essentially, the new MSU contribution will lead to financial partnerships with other McMaster organizations, like McMaster Alumni, the Student Success Centre and the Graduate Students Association.

If approved, McMaster will host two concerts – one Friday night and the other Saturday morning – a beer garden and a pancake breakfast. Students would need to pay about $30 for a ticket to the concerts and beer would be available at a cost. According to the proposal, there will be 3700 tickets for the event.

“Homecoming is an opportunity for campus partners to align and bring the McMaster community together in celebration,” said Ryan MacDonald, Vice-President (Finance) in the preample of his proposal.

“This plan is ambitious and it would involve a dramatic re-design of the way in which we approach the homecoming planning and preparation.”

However, not all SRA members share the excitement over the proposal. Kathleen Quinn, SRA Social Sciences, has concerns about expanding Homecoming.

“The main concern that I have is the number of sexual assaults that happen on campus during Light Up The Night,” said Quinn. There were five reported sexual assaults from the April 8, 2016 event and one arrest made.

“We know alcohol is the number one date rape drug. To bring an increase of alcohol on campus without any concrete plan to prevent sexual assault and what happened at Light Up The Night from happening again is a really hard thing for people to vote on.”

Quinn said there are women reaching out to her who would not attend the event because they would not feel comfortable in that environment.

The MSU wants to create the event to combat the illegal activity that happens in the areas surrounding campus. In theory, an on-campus event could draw students away from the backyard keggers and improve safety. Students are going to get drunk on Homecoming, but if they are on campus, alcohol consumption should be lighter because the servers will obey liquor laws. And if something happens, students have access to service like Emergency First Response Team, the Student Wellness Centre and Security Services.

The SRA representative disagreed with the idea that a campus event would be safer than the typical Westdale-Ainslie Wood homecoming parties.

“There’s nothing to say than on-campus is any safer. Light Up The Night is an example of that. We have a lot of work to do to make this a safe campus,” said Quinn.

The SRA will vote on this issue, as well as changes to Vice-President election ballots. There is a motion to make the ballots secret.

Students are encouraged to share their thoughts on the Homecoming proposal with their SRA representatives. Contact info can be found here. The meeting is set for 2:00 p.m. in Gilmour Hall 111.