Issue date: 5/11/07 Section: Campus

By Paul Takahashi
The Daily Northwestern

Since 2004, some Northwestern student groups have seen their funding from Associated Student Government skyrocket by as much as 2,000 percent, while others have gradually lost thousands of dollars - all while the number of disagreements between ASG and its financial branch have risen.

The most dramatic success story is that of the Flicker Film Festival, which received only $340 in 2004 during ASG's spring funding cycle.

On Wednesday, the group received $8,769, an increase of 2,479 percent. The group hosts an annual festival of international films, and in recent years has brought speakers to campus, such as Parker Posey, Rob Cordry and Chazz Palminteri.

This year's largest funding allotment of $253,337 went to A&0 Productions, a film and entertainment group. In recent years, the group has brought entertainers to campus, such as Kanye West, Dane Cook and Sarah Silverman.

Since 2004, when the group was recommended $209,646, its funding has increased by 20.8 percent.

Mayfest has also seen a steady increase over the four-year span: They had a 9.1 percent increase in funding from ASG between 2004 and 2007, when they were recommended $121,038 and $133,170, respectively.

Mayfest, which organizes programming for Dillo Day, has brought artists, such as Ben Folds and the Wailers, to campus in recent years for the spring event.

"A lot of groups performed well this year, which made this a difficult funding cycle," said Aneesa Arshad, ASG's financial vice president and the leader of the Student Activities Finance Board, ASG's financial arm.

But funding has not increased for all student groups since 2004.

Funding for the College Republicans has decreased by 66 percentage points over the four-year span. This year, the College Republicans received $12,826, down from $37,519 in 2004.

Both ASG and SAFB said the decrease is a result of sub-par programming.

Continued...

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