By RINDY METCALF

Staff Writer

Student Government Association members approved a motion to amend the spring budget for community service and The Big Event because of increased student participation.

The service budget will be increased from $3,500 to $4,000.

Jennifer Porter, SGA president and a senior marketing major, said 841 students have signed up to participate in The Big Event, 200 more than last year.

"It's the biggest response ever," said Porter. "There is more involvement from students on campus."

Porter said she believes the increased participation is due to higher visibility because of the SGA's new office location in Tolliver Hall.

Porter said in the past, volunteers have cleaned area residents' homes. Now they must go beyond cleaning homes, and SGA is working harder than ever to get jobs for the students to do.

"We have contacted city officials, local schools and the Council on Aging to see if there are any projects they could give students," Porter said.

Porter said the extra money will be used for T-shirts, lunch for the volunteers and new tools for the extra participants.

Amanda Gross, a senior marketing major, and Erin Akin, a senior speech communications major, are the SGA community service co-chairs, and they said an increase in volunteers means an increase in the numbers of jobs they need to obtain.

Gross said she attributes the increase in volunteers to better publicity for the event.

Gross said there were 60 jobs sites last year, and now they are aiming to find more than 100 job sites.

Akin said, "With the student turnout being so big, we have a higher demand for jobs."

Akin also said for the first time there will be a team of volunteers working on campus.

To find jobs for the students to do, the community service committee has delivered work request forms to many area establishments and extended the invitation to faculty members.

For more information about work request forms for The Big Event, go to the SGA office, located in Tolliver Hall, or call 257-4565.