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Information concerning the Skidmore Pavilion Corporation and Falstaff’s:
The Skidmore Pavilion Corporation and Skidmore College built and paid for Falstaff’s by assessing the student body an annual fee incorporated into the student activity fee.
Skidmore College owns the building, however the Pavilion Corporation and the College signed a Long Term Lease Agreement giving the Corporation the sole and exclusive use of the building.
The Student Government Association guarantees the obligations of the Pavilion Corporation.
The Board of Directors:
The initial structure of the Board was made up of faculty, administrators and students elected by the student body.
After a number of years, interest waned and in order to have a full Board it was determined that student directors would assume Board of Director positions by virtue of their Student Government Association elected positions.
Past Modes of Operation
During the first few years, Falstaff’s ran a full-scale food and beverage operation with corporate employees but it was quickly determined the campus could not sustain this scale of operation. The 1988 audit report reflected a $91,000 net loss.
Over the following several years, two different local establishments/caterers as well as our Skidmore Dining Services Department were contracted to run various types and scopes of operation. A student lunch and/or dinner program, a faculty/staff club and special evening activities were all attempted however none of the contracted vendors could make a financial success of their endeavors.
Finally it was determined to relinquish the beer and wine license and to allow SGA clubs and organizations to reserve the space for campus meetings, concerts, dinners, etc. The space has been used in this way for approximately the last 15 years.
Why the Board of Directors voted to dissolve the Corporation
The Board of Directors has not been abiding by its by-laws or been operating in a true corporate structure for a number of years.
Financial resources are incurred on an annual basis to pay for expenses such as legal, accounting and auditing fees. Those fees would be less if the corporation were dissolved.
To address the issue of student jurisdiction over Falstaff’s, the Board of Directors has renegotiated the Long Term Lease Agreement with the College in the name of SGA. The same terms were agreed upon as the original agreement; no rights or privileges were 6“lost”.
To oversee the care and management of Falstaff’s, a Falstaff’s Operating Committee has been established to replace the Board of Directors. The Committee will be made up of members with a strong vested interest in Falstaff’s as a social venue. The committee will consist of the SGA Vice President for Club Affairs, the SGA Vice President for Financial Affairs, the Junior Class Vice President, the Sophomore Class Vice President, one representative of the Student Entertainment Company (SEC) to be designated by the SEC Chair, one representative of Lively Lucy’s to be designated by the President of that group to serve as an at-large member the Assistant Directors of the Office of Leadership Activities, and two Willingness-to-Serve appointees.
By moving to an Operating Committee, decisions regarding upgrades to the building, etc. should be able to be to made and implemented in a much more timely fashion.
Financial Information and Corporate Assets
The mortgage and subsequent loan for building renovations has been satisfied and there are no outstanding loans or debts.
The plan in cooperation with New York State Law calls for the distribution of the assets to a charitable organization engaged in activities substantially similar to those of the dissolved corporation. All the Pavilion Corporation funds shall be transferred to an SGA account to be used exclusively and solely for the operation and maintenance of Falstaff’s or meeting the provisions and regulations outlined in the Falstaff’s Long-Term Lease Agreement. The Pavilion Assessment Fee, once established to finance the Long Term Lease Agreement, shall be renamed the Falstaff’s Operating Fee Costs associate with the dissolution of the Pavilion Corporation shall be paid by the said corporation, and any surplus that accumulates from the Falstaff’s Operating Committee Fee shall be deposited into an SGA account and shall be used for the sole and exclusive purposes of maintaining, improving and operating Falstaff’s. The FOC shall oversee all matters of the Falstaff’s venue and shall determine how funds should be appropriated for Falstaff’s benefit.
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