For more than a decade the Graduate Student Association (GSA) has sponsored GSA CAFE, which stands for critically acclaimed film experience, every weekend.

"Our main purpose is to provide the Penn State community with the opportunity to see art house and foreign films on a screen, when such films would almost never get shown here otherwise," said Jenn McKee (graduate-creative writing), GSA CAFE chairperson.

This semester, GSA CAFE's funding, which comes from the student activity fee and is allocated through the University Park Allocations Committee (UPAC), was cut in half.

According to UPAC's overall chairperson Eddie Elizondo (senior-management and international business), after reviewing GSA's budget request, the programming team of UPAC decided that showing two movies per weekend was dividing the program's attendance.

So in an attempt to boost attendance, which according to UPAC's records averaged around 100 students per weekend, they allocated enough funds for one movie.

"Previously we've shown one art film in Kern and one foreign film in Chambers each weekend," McKee said. "We were kind of two film series in one because we tried to fill two film gaps in State College simultaneously."

"But now, with the cuts, we can no longer do this," McKee added.

GSA CAFE's attendance is much lower compared to other film exhibitions on campus, such as the Late Night Penn State films shown on the weekends in the HUB-Robeson Center.

Late Night Penn State films consistently fill the 390-seat HUB Auditorium for more than one of the show times, Elizondo said.

"We're different (from other free movie programs on campus) just by the virtue that we select films that are distinct from everything else on campus," McKee said.

This is not the first time that GSA CAFE has had its funding cut.

Both Elizondo and McKee said that in the Fall Semester of 1999, GSA CAFE's budget was cut in half also because of poor attendance figures.

To regain funding, McKee started a letter writing campaign.

In the spring and fall semesters of 2000, GSA CAFE was then allocated enough funds to show two movies during each weekend.

"We just need, it seems, to keep proving to UPAC that we're a valued, important program here on the University Park campus," McKee said.

Elizondo said the move from two to one movies was intended to add to the program's turnout.

"It's a popular program and UPAC was simply hoping to increase attendance figures," Elizondo said.

Attendance figures have gone up this semester.

McKee attributes this to better advertising and not to the funding cut.

"Actually I take responsibility for not having the attendance numbers that UPAC was looking for," McKee said. "In terms of advertising, I was not getting the job done and I regret that now."

McKee added, "To rectify this, I have put much more effort into the advertising this term, and so far, we have had great success."

The programming team, a division of UPAC, consists of nine students who decide solely on program requests submitted by organizations through a proposal that includes the intent of the program.

The night the request is reviewed by the team, the sponsoring organization is invited to attend the meeting so that the committee can be as informed as possible, Elizondo said.

GSA requests funds for programming each semester.

Neither GSA CAFE nor UPAC know whether the program's funding will be restored.

"No decision is ever pre-determined without a final decision from the committee," Elizondo said.

If you would like to drop a line in support of GSA CAFE, you may send an email to jam499@psu.edu.