TRUSU gives SIFE $2000 to run one of Kamloops’ Thirsty Thursdays

In an article I wrote, published to the Omega website ("Thirsty Thursday stirs up controversy", theomega.ca), it was revealed that Kamloops will have two Thirsty Thursdays beginning February 4th, 2010.

Thirsty Thursday, has been a weekly pub night at TRU’s Heroes pub, and has been run successfully by Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) for the past seven years.

Now, SIFE has decided to take their fundraising event, Thirsty Thursday, to Cactus Jacks (as written in the Omega article).

In a proposal made at the TRUSU council meeting on Monday January 25, 2010, SIFE stated that it needed $2500 to ensure that it could continue running Thirsty Thursday, now to be held at Cactus Jacks. It was understood by TRUSU that Heroes pulled the plug on SIFE fundraising and that without the money Thirsty Thursday would be no-more, as discussed during the TRUSU debate.

However, there are a few things everyone should know:

1. SIFE is the only TRUSU club that has a closed bank account. In the debate at the TRUSU council meeting it was brought up that no one knew how much revenue they made, and there would be no way of knowing how SIFE would actually spend the proposed club money.
2. In an article written by the Kamloops Daily News (“Help from higher learning” December 22, 2009), it was stated that SIFE generates a revenue of approximately $15,000 in a 25-week period.
3. According to Gerard Hayes, TRU director of ancillary services, SIFE was not told that it was no longer allowed to host Thirsty Thursday at Heroes. SIFE chose to leave because one night, out of seven years, was taken away from them, so that the Adventure club could host a fundraiser Thursday January 21, 2010.
4. Thirsty Thursday will also continue to run at Heroes, on campus, only now other clubs have the opportunity to take a stab at it. Heroes is already receiving applications from clubs vying for a chance to host the event.
   

After some debate by the TRUSU council, the motion to give SIFE $2500 was denied, but a following motion was made by Jambo Mirzabekov, International Students representative, to grant the club $2000.

“Thirsty Thursday has been going on for quite awhile,” said Dan Erickson, Graduate Studies representative. “It will be a good investment for us.”

The motion passed and SIFE was granted $2000 to help them start-up Thirsty Thursday at Cactus Jacks.

But TRUSU was not aware that Thirsty Thursday at Heroes will also continue. SIFE does not have rights to the name Thirsty Thursday said Gerard Hayes. According to him the event will continue at Heroes as well.

So, I believe that any branding that Erickson thought would be an investment will remain with Heroes.

In fact, I would predict that because Thirsty Thursday at Heroes has been going on for so long, people will continue to go, indifferent about which club name is listed on the poster.

These TRU students will have to be awfully thirsty to sustain the two events.