Tuesday, Nov. 18, numerous students protested the proposed budget cut for the Ninth Annual Sankofa Gala. Allison Robinson-Wilson ’26, president of the Minority Pre-Law Association, and a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, publicly spoke out against the budget cut.
The Ninth Annual Sankofa Gala Act proposed changing the catering and food budget from $6,700 in 2025 to $4,500 for 2026.
The Gala, held each spring semester, brings together African American students and professors to celebrate their accomplishments. Since its peak attendance in 2024 with 300 guests, the number has started to decline.
In 2025, 115 people attended. However, the sharp decrease in attendance was likely due to a snowstorm Feb. 19 and 7 inches of snow Feb. 21, which closed campus operations for days.
However, what Robinson-Wilson spoke out against was a budget cut that would lower the food budget from $4,500 to $3,000 — a 55.2% decrease from the previous year.
“It is an unfair, unjustifiable and improper comparison to argue that any description of low attendance is the product of poorly organized events and not external factors,” Robinson-Wilson said.
Robinson-Wilson also addressed a comment from Sen. Ryan Silien ’28, chair of the Finance Committee.
“He said, and I quote, ‘Food isn’t integral to the event.’ The thing I want this body to understand is that food is necessary to celebrate Black community and Black progress,” Robinson-Wilson said. “Food is ultimately a human right and is a symbol, a beacon, of how many members of the Black community have engaged with their history, positionality and hope for the past 250 years.”
Robinson-Wilson connected the budget cuts to the significance of food in African American history.
“It is the food that slave owners did not want. It is the food that segregation has tried to prohibit. It is the food of taking nothing and turning it into something great,” Robinson-Wilson said.
Silien informally proposed the budget cut during a Finance Committee meeting. Although not officially introduced into session, many students on campus felt Student Assembly support for the African American community on campus was waning.
In a later discussion about the bill, Silien responded to Robinson-Wilson’s comments.
“If I may, I want to say thank you to Ms. Wilson for coming and speaking on behalf of this bill,” Silien said. “I mean, this is an incredible event that the Student Assembly does, and it is incredibly important to be having, especially right now.”
Silien continued by explaining the Organization Budget Allocation process and the high rate at which SA funds events.
“Our OBAC guidelines — as a reminder, OBAC is the organization that funds clubs, clubs that have food events — cap it at $5 per person. So already, we’re seeing that Student Assembly funds events at a much higher level,” Silien said.
Silien further noted that the proposed gala budget would exceed the $5-per-person guidelines set by OBAC.
“With the bill as it stands right now, with an estimate of attendance, we’re funding at $32, $33, which is quite a lot, especially with the conversations we’ve been having about reserves this year,” Silien said.
Numerous students felt that support for the celebration should not be put at risk solely to save money. Among such students is Dativa Eyembe ’26, an Africana Studies major who attended the meeting.
“It’s hard to hear that things like that are at risk, in that kind of way,” Eyembe said. “I think that’s why many of us are here — to speak out on that. We want to show our support.”
Robinson-Wilson further highlighted the importance of celebrating Sankofa, which allows Black students the opportunity to dress up and celebrate all their accomplishments.
“Sankofa is the only event where Black students are allowed to come, dress up, celebrate and relax,” Robinson-Wilson said. “It is a continuous symbol of how far we have come at William and Mary with respect to our achievements as people and our community.”
Many senators emphasized the importance of balancing saving SA’s financial reserves with actively supporting the College’s community.
“Food was not the driving factor, for me, at least, when I went my first time,” Sen. Elie Bide ’26 said. “The biggest driving factor is that it’s a big formal for the Black community. As far as I know, there’s not another event like it held on this campus at that scale; the food budget just continues to elevate it.”
Bide continued.
“This is disregarding the history that stands behind Sankofa,” Bide said. “Sankofa is meant to symbolize the Black legacy on campus, which I may admit has been lost these past couple of years. I feel like everyone on campus would benefit as a whole if we kept the budget as it is now.”
Class of 2028 President Devaughn Henry ’28 emphasized the importance of upholding the promises made in the You Belong Resolution, a bill passed in April 2025, urging the board of visitors and university administration to protect diversity and inclusion initiatives.
“In the You Belong Resolution, they stated that they charge us, as the 333rd session, to uphold our ongoing commitment to belonging by maintaining, preserving, and advancing ongoing initiatives aimed at fostering inclusion on the campus environment, including but not limited to the Department of Diversity and Inclusion events,” Henry said. “I feel like this is one of the prime things we discussed in the You Belong Resolution. For us to further defund it only diminishes its significance in history.”
Sen. Cheryl Dao ’27 introduced the Art and Hatsuye Ball Act III. If passed, the bill will stipulate that SA funds will be used to support a ball honoring and celebrating Asian, Pacific Islander and Middle Eastern students.
After much contentious debate, the Student Assembly Senate also passed the Let My Senators Go (Abroad) bill.
The bill proposes amending the Independent Elections Commission guidelines to allow candidates running in senate elections to attend election events virtually, to accommodate senators studying abroad.
The bill amends the constitution to allow a senator studying abroad in the spring semester to run for office and serve their first 30 school days in office abroad, before returning to campus the following fall semester.
The bill is sponsored by Sen. Ryan Silien ’28, who stated the bill would make joining SA more accessible.
However, many senators dissented, arguing that the change would make it easier for incumbent senators to maintain their offices while abroad.
Both the IEC Chair and the Attorney General issued opinions against the bill, stipulating concerns about candidate accountability for video sessions while abroad.
The senate passed the Funding Iftar Act V, which provides student assembly funds for seven Iftar meals and a Ramadan banquet. Iftar is the nightly feast that breaks the daily fast Muslims observe from dawn to sunset for the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. For 2026, Ramadan will be from Feb. 17 to March 19.
The senate passed the Narcan Purchasing to Save Lives Act. This act stipulates that SA funds be used to purchase 100 boxes of Narcan (Naloxone) nasal spray, which saves lives in the event of an opioid overdose emergency.
The Office of Health Promotion currently offers REVIVE! Lay Rescuer training for students, faculty and staff. The act also charges the student body president and class presidents to include information about REVIVE! Training for students in messaging.
SA President Zoe Wang ’25 MPP ’26 announced her decision to veto the Let My Senators (Go) Abroad bill. In an email released to SA on Nov. 25, she cited opinions against the bill from the IEC Chair, Attorney General and former IEC Chair, and Sen. Jason Zheng ’26 — which Wang argued demonstrated the need to respect shared governance.
Wang also stated that the bill has not received broad support and that there are other ways to be involved in SA while abroad, beyond the senate.
