Picnic Day

Cutbacks force UCD Picnic Day organizers to seek sponsorships
By Sharon Stello | Davis Enterprise staff writer | March 12, 2008

Facing budget cuts and rising costs, Picnic Day organizers are seeking
community sponsors to avoid minor cutbacks at the UC Davis annual open
house.

And for enough moolah, sponsors can milk a cow.

Believed to be the largest student-run event in the nation, Picnic Day
typically attracts 50,000 to 60,000 visitors to campus - a big audience
for a business looking to advertise. This year, the event is Saturday, April 19.

Monetary donations of any amount will be accepted, as well as items such
as folding tables and chairs or stakes for posting signs around campus.

The deadline for donations is March 25. All donors will have their names
listed on the Picnic Day Web site, http://picnicday.ucdavis.edu, and in
the schedule of events, available on campus during the open house
celebration.

Joey Almario, vice chairman of Picnic Day, said a former board solicited
sponsorships a few years ago and the current board is reviving that effort.

'We would like to gain support and partnership from the community,'
Almario said. 'We would like to put on an amazing event.'

Those donating $500 or more will be invited to participate in the
cow-milking contest, one of many events in the week before Picnic Day.
Almario said there are two or three spots available. They will be filled
on a first-come, first-served basis.

Other opportunities include sponsoring an entertainment stage for about
$500. In addition to being listed on the Web site and event schedule,
the sponsor's name or business name can be displayed on a sign and
announced in-between performances.

To sponsor the schedule of events costs $3,000 and includes mention at
the bottom of the cover and a full-page advertisement. For $60,
businesses or community members may sponsor one of six information booths.

Almario said sponsorships are necessary due to increased costs and
budget cuts. Picnic Day makes some money from food and T-shirt sales,
but organizers realized more revenue was required to cover expenses.

Some of Picnic Day's costs include renting tables, chairs and tents as
well as two Unitrans buses that provide shuttle service around campus.
Some costs have risen. For example, when minimum wage increased, this
affected operation costs at Unitrans, so the bus rental fee went up too,
Almario said.

Picnic Day has a budget of about $50,458. Money comes from the
Associated Students of UCD and university funds.

Jan Gong, senior associate vice chancellor of Student Affairs, said the
university historically has covered direct costs like grand stands,
parking enforcement, custodians, sound systems, handheld radios, golf
carts and a first aid tent. In addition to a monetary allocation, many
UCD employees volunteer time to help with the event. And UCD pays the
Picnic Day adviser's salary, although she has other roles too.

Gong said ancillary events like alumni gatherings and the ice cream
social are funded by the units hosting them. And department open houses
are funded by those departments.

ASUCD usually covers costs related to the Picnic Day board such as
stipends for student directors, office equipment and supplies, publicity
and programmatic elements like the Multicultural Children's Faire, Gong
said.

The university contributes $35,909, up from about $9,409 in 2002-03.

In 2004, with Picnic Day costs rising - due to inflation and other
factors - then-Provost Virginia Hinshaw authorized a funding increase of
$26,500 over three years. Gong said the university wanted to further
support Picnic Day not only because it's a beloved longtime university
event, but for its role in student recruitment, public relations and
showcasing campus research and public service.

Meanwhile, ASUCD funding has decreased by about 29 percent over four
years, from $20,519 in 2003-04 to $14,549 this year.

Outgoing ASUCD President Kareem Salem said while he can't address cuts
made by previous student leaders, the latest reduction was necessary to
balance the budget.

Attempting to make ASUCD's spending plan as accurate as possible, Salem
and other student leaders went line by line through the budget and found
several places where a unit's projected income seemed too high. When
those projections were adjusted to more realistic numbers, he said,
ASUCD faced a budget with $9,000 less in revenues.

'So we had to scour through our whole budget to see where cuts would be
appropriate,' Salem said.

For example, he recommended cutting $500 earmarked for Picnic Day
volunteer appreciation. The Student Senate approved that cut and made
reductions to publicity, the Multicultural Children's Faire and other
categories.

Salem said the reductions - $1,550 down from last year's $16,099 - were
selected to avoid affecting Picnic Day's ability to function.

If Picnic Day is not able to collect enough donations from community
sponsors, Almario said organizers may have to cut down on services at
the event. For example, two student groups might be forced to share an
8-foot table rather than each having their own.

Picnic Day directors - students who plan the event - already have taken
a $100 to $150 cut in their modest stipends. For example, Almario said
he received about $400 last year as exhibits director. That position
would receive about $250 to $300 this year. Assistant directors receive
no money and Almario said if there's funding available, the board would
like to host a party to thank these hard-working volunteers.

To donate, checks made out to ASUCD may be mailed to 349 Memorial Union,
1 Shields Ave., UC Davis, Davis, CA 95616. For more information, contact
Almario at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or (530) 752-6320.