The ASSU Undergraduate Senate approved $20,000 in funding last week for the ASSU Arts Grant Program. After the program was discontinued last year, the Executive Cabinet and Senate collaborated to fund its revival.

Through the program, which is an outlet for students who are interested in starting their own artistic endeavors to receive financial support, students and student groups can submit proposals and budget outlines to the Arts Grant Board, which then reviews the applications and decides whether to fund the project.

Created several years ago as a cooperative venture between ASSU Executives and senators to support the arts community on campus, the Arts Grant Program previously received funding from Senate reserves. However, during the 2006-07 academic year, the program was discontinued because that source of funds dried up.

“From what I have been told, the Executive spent the entire year last year supposedly trying to find alternative sources of funding,” said ASSU Vice President Mondaire Jones ‘09, “but what they failed to do was go to the original source of funding, the Undergraduate Senate.”

Jones said that he and ASSU President Hershey Avula ‘08 turned to the Senate in search of funding for the program’s reinstatement, which was accomplished at last Tuesday’s Senate meeting.

“We certainly appreciate the support from the Senate for making this happen,” Jones said.

Currently, Jones is working on creating the Arts Grant Board and revising the program’s guidelines from previous years. He said the board will consist of ASSU officials and interested members of the arts community. After establishing the foundation for the program, Jones said he intends to begin advertising to raise awareness of the opportunity for arts funding.

According to Jones, the program represents a step toward increased recognition of the arts community on campus.

“The arts community for several years has felt that the ASSU has not been doing enough to support their interests,” Jones said. “This is one of the many ways we hope to do this.”

The ASSU Executive has also already begun to actively plan the “Stanford Idol” event, to be held during winter quarter. There will be competitions in a number of different artistic categories beyond vocals.

Both Executives and senators said they were excited about the future of the Arts Grant Program.

“I am a strong supporter of the program,” said Senator Sarah Golabek-Goldman ‘10. “The entire Stanford community will benefit because it will be exposed to inspiring and thought-provoking works of art.”