RSA eyeing new $1,650 Thunder Cup trophy

The Resident Student Association, recently voted in favor of the construction of a 36-inch tall Thunder Cup trophy that will cost $1,650.

The trophy is primarily the brainchild of RSA Vice President Justin Stubbs who started the Thunder Cup competition.

“(The trophy) represents how big this project is and how big it can be,” Stubbs said.

The Thunder Cup is an inter-hall competition in which the residence halls, as well as buildings 100 through 400 and buildings 500 through 600 at West Campus, compete with each other in nine categories to see who can get the most points.

The nine areas of competition are: intramurals, academics, service, fine arts, athletics, wellness, on-campus program involvement, community involvement and eco-awareness. The 10th area in case of a tie will be leadership.

Future plans as to where the trophy will be placed on campus, or even if it will be a set location are still being discussed.

“We know it needs to be inside and in a place were the resident student body can see it often,” Stubbs said.

The current ideas include the dining hall, the victorious resident hall, or even the clock tower in the residential area, where a swath of the tower’s wall would be cut away in order to install a highly visible home for the Thunder Cup.

The cup itself will boast a wooden base and a large golden cup with twin handles. It is being modeled heavily after the Thunder Cup logo, which can be seen around official Thunder Cup events. Stubbs said that RSA hopes to use the trophy’s size and luster to conjure a sort of “wow” factor among students.

According to Treasurer Eric Connolly, RSA’s 2009-10 budget is $44,000.

“We have $37,000 left to spend,” Connolly said. “Currently we still have many more programs to put on this semester …we’re planning to use a chunk of that amount.”

After purchasing the trophy, RSA will be working on financing Battle of the Bands, summer conferences for its members, as well as future community service opportunities.

Although the price of the trophy seems substantial to many students, RSA delegate Andrew Svorcek, a freshmen of Foundation Hall, was in favor of the allocation.

“We might as well spend (the remaining budget) on something that can add tradition to our school,” Svorcek said.

However, within RSA itself the vote to approve the trophy was not unanimous.

“I abstained, because the hype (for the Thunder Cup) isn’t there yet,” said RSA delegate Mark Jestel, a sophomore representing Adams Hall.

When asked, students were in generally in favor of the trophy’s construction.

“I know RSA has a lot of surplus money, and I’m glad they’re spending it on something that will improve campus ethos,” sophomore Kevin Brewer said.

While Thunder Cup participation is not 100 percent, Stubbs feels the trophy will help bolster the numbers.” Students are still learning about the program,” Stubbs said. “We believe the trophy will make much more of an impact.”

With the trophy slated to be on campus sometime this semester, it will be interesting to see where it will be placed, and just how much of an impact it will make on GCSU’s campus ethos.

Posted by Stephen Hundley on Feb 19 2010. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry