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If you hadn’t taken your free photo at the photo booth on the Driscoll Bridge this week, next week it will cost you $2.
This summer, the Undergraduate Student Government approved $8,000 for a traveling photo booth so that students could take their pictures and at the same time provide student government with extra cash. The booth was so popular that it ran through 500 photo strips in just four days.
“It’s been something I’ve been trying to get for years,” said Carl Johnson, director of campus activies. “I think students would love having a memento of special events and just their college experience as a whole. It is a great way to celebrate the good times they have in college. Who doesn’t love a photo booth?”
The booth cost the USG $8,000, but Student Body President Jim Francescon says it expects to make the money back through individual photos and renting the booth out to student organizations such as Greek Life.
“It’s an additional revenue stream for USG,” Francescon said. “The student comptroller projects that it will break even several years before the usable life expires.”
The logo on the bottom square of the strip is replaceable, and Johnson says USG plans to have the booth out for Homecoming, Winter Carnival and May Days.
“The plan is to also rent it out for a small fee and we’ll put that group’s logo on the bottom square. So Daniels, Athletics, BSA, Greeks, etcetera could use it for their specific event,” Johnson said.
Francescon said this will allow USG to eventually gain funding in addition to the student activity fee.
“We plan to implement more capital-generating objects over the course of this year in an effort to lower the activity fee over time,” Francescon said. “Unfortunately, this is not something we will see in the near future, but we are laying the foundation now.”
The photo booth currently is out of paper, but Johnson said more paper will arrive in the next few days. Photos will be free for a few more days, and then prices will be $2.
“Everyone feels better after they have their picture in the photo booth,” Johnson said. “It builds community and gives you something to carry as a reminder of the great times you had.”
“Whether you’re at a Greek barbecue or whatever event, the bottom part can be changed, so you can keep and collect them in your photo albums,” said senior Katie Bernell, off-campus senator.