Ballot includes UPAC

For more than two weeks, many of the presidential and vice presidential candidates for the University's Undergraduate Student Government have debated the fate of the $25 student activity fee.

The results of today's USG elections will have an effect on the allocation of this money, but the winners of the elections will not be the ones affecting the allocation.

The first elections for the University Park Allocation Committee will take place today on the same ballot as the USG elections. UPAC, which will replace the Student Organization Budget Committee this Fall Semester, is composed of undergraduate and graduate students. It is responsible for allocating the student activity fee and general funds to students and student organizations.

"It allows the undergraduate students . . . to vote for the people who actually allocate the student activity fee," said Kim Schafer, outgoing SOBC chair.

In the past, 12 students were appointed to the committee. However, because of the increased amount of money due to the student activity fee, 15 students were appointed in February and six students will be elected.

A graduate representative was elected a week ago and seven students are running for the remaining five undergraduate spots.

Electing students by using the ballot will begin incoming UPAC Chair Tiffany Cresswell's goal of opening the allocation process to the students.

Students running on the ballot were required to submit a letter of intent to Schafer and will appear in the voter's guide and on the USG ballot.

"A lot of students were concerned that the first five on the ballot would win," Schafer said. "But I would hope people wouldn't (just vote for the first five). I would hope they would read the letters of intent."

USG President Sharon Entenberg also stressed the importance of the positions and the responsibility of the committee.

"It's money allocated by the students and people need to realize what an opportunity . . . it is to have a say in who decides that," she said.