For weeks, the paper-mache letters "SPA?" have hung over the stairs in the HUB-Robeson Center. Water bottles, calendars, T-shirts, posters, and mint containers have invaded the HUB-Robeson Center, all asking the question "What is SPA?"

But beginning next semester, the Student Programming Association (SPA) may become one of the most influential groups on campus.

After having $100,000 allocated by Vicky Triponey, vice president for student affairs, SPA, a new organization created to help student organizations' programming efforts, plans to spend all the money during the spring semester. The $100,000 has historically gone to the University Park Allocation Committee (UPAC), the group who distributes money to student groups.

"We plan on spending all [$100,000] of it this spring and having two major events," Liz Roosa Millar, director of the Center for Student Activities and Programming, said. "In a Pulse Survey, we asked students what events they would like to see. Ultimately, the majority of students said they would like to see a big-time comedian."

Latenight Penn State will also become a part of SPA, Millar said. SPA officials have also held meetings with members of the Association of Residence Hall Students (ARHS) to discuss possible SPA aid for ARHS cinemas, the free late-night movies in the HUB.

SPA's four executive members, with the help of administrators in the Center for Student Activities and Programming, recently launched a multi-thousand dollar marketing campaign.

Darcy Rameker, SPA adviser and program adviser for the Center for Student Activities and Programming, said the marketing money came from a co-sponsorship with cell phone provider Cingular, which paid to hold a concert at Penn State at the beginning of the fall semester.

"We don't know the exact cost of the marketing campaign at this point," Millar said. "We are building something from nothing. We just need to get our existence known."

Millar said the SPA marketing campaign has no set budget, but the total costs will be between $3,000 and $5,000 -- money that has been used to purchase water bottles, calendars, T-shirts and mint containers bearing the SPA logo.

"I think so far, people are still kind of wondering what SPA is," Rameker said.

SPA is currently conducting a contest at www.elections.psu.edu where students can guess what the organization's acronym stands for a chance to win a laptop and other prizes. Choices include "Subtly Pornographic Affection" and "Silly Putty Association."

Millar said she isn't sure where Student Affairs got the money for these prizes, which came from SPA's initial startup budget, and that the information wasn't included in the work report for the development of SPA.

Part of the campaign was to attract candidates for the four available committee chair positions. After extending the deadline multiple times, SPA's campaign has attracted 11 applications for the four available committee chair positions.

Also on the spring agenda is the hiring of a marketing director to assist SPA and student groups and combat student apathy.

"The SPA is going to have a peer advisory role and they are going to help clubs and organizations with marketing and public relations. We just got approval from Vicky Triponey for the marketing position," Millar said. "The chairs of the committees will have this person as an adviser."

University spending on SPA and other groups frustrated Undergraduate Student Government President Nick Stathes.

"This university treats us like little children who pay an exorbitant amount of money to go to a nursery school. It's unbelievable," Stathes said. "This administration has turned people off so much from applying for things like SPA because it is evident that they don't really want true student input."

Rameker said thus far, she has received a positive response from the giant paper mache letters hanging above the HUB's central stairs. She said she hopes to have 100 people working for SPA when the group is at full capacity.

"People are wondering sometimes, 'What is APS?' she said, referring to students who read the sign backward as they go up the stairs. "This is fine because at least they are noticing us."