Representatives from six groups lobbied for their piece of the student activity fee pie Saturday before the newly formed Funding Activity Board (FAB), with the Student Programming Association (SPA) requesting the most -- about $1.15 million.
SPA's request includes a $600,000 budget for entertainment, an increase from the $100,000 it was allocated for entertainment last year.
Program adviser for SPA Darcy Rameker said the increase is significant because SPA was a new organization this year and only organized entertainment for this March and April.
SPA Director of Finance Erika Ospina Awad (junior-international politics), who presented the request for SPA, said the funding would be used to bring bigger artists and entertainers to State College at "no or low cost to students."
However, Bryce Jordan Center's associate general manager Al Karosas, who requested $175,000 on behalf of the BJC, said such low prices could negatively affect the high-profile entertainment market at Penn State, because students might not come out for more expensive shows after paying $5 or $10 to see another act.
Agents, artists and promoters, he said, "don't understand the difference between SPA and the Bryce Jordan Center. They only see Penn State."
SPA representatives and Karosas both said working together was important for planning student entertainment.
"SPA is a valuable resource for students," Karosas said. "We can help them."
Karosas said a partnership between the BJC and FAB "will bring in more student programming at a reasonable price" of around $20 to $30.
Karosas' request would bring at least three shows to the BJC and could bring as many as seven or eight, he said, depending on how successful the shows are.
In addition to the requests by SPA, the University Park Undergraduate Association (UPUA) made a request for funding for the upcoming year's budget. Penn State's student government did not have a budget until last week when the Office of Student Affairs gave it $6,000.
UPUA President Jay Chamberlin, who requested $32,150 worth of student money for UPUA, said the organization has a lot of good ideas for the future and needs every cent it requested.
UPUA's budget didn't mention any specific programming, but Chamberlin said the organization can't plan for all of its programming because organization members change annually depending on who is voted into office.
"You're talking about purposeful programming, and we don't even know what your purposes are right now," FAB student representative Abbey Rhode said to Chamberlin.
FAB also questioned the organization about its finances, asking if UPUA took the Undergraduate Student Government's (USG) possible donation of $25,000 in cash and assets to UPUA into consideration in its budget.
USG, the former student government at University Park, stated in a February 24 resolution that UPUA can receive the donation if it meets requirements outlined in the resolutions within 21 academic days, which would be April 2.
Chamberlin said the group has not assumed that it will receive the money in planning for next year. Chamberlin also said he doesn't feel UPUA should be too concerned with fundraising to pay for programming.
"I'm not entirely opposed to fundraising, but I feel it shouldn't be this group's primary focus," Chamberlin said. He said his prior "experiences in fundraising haven't necessarily enhanced my ability as an advocate."
Other organizations that requested funds included the Center for Student Activities and Programming, the Center for Arts and Crafts, Recreational Sports and Services, and the Student Parent Child Care Subsidy Program.
The remaining FAB hearings will take place in the Bravo Room in Johnston Commons between 5 and 8:15 p.m. on Wednesday and between 5:30 and 8:45 p.m. on Thursday.
FAB replaced the University Park Allocation Committee (UPAC) as the distributor of student activity fee funds this year. UPAC still exists, but will only give university dollars to smaller organizations such as clubs or student organizations.
After the budget hearings have been completed, FAB will deliberate during the first week of April and give its recommendations to Vice President for Student Affairs Vicky Triponey before June 1, FAB Chairman Ellery Loomis (junior-crime, law and justice) said.
Loomis said after the Board of Trustees meets in July and votes on a possible student activity fee increase of $10 per semester, Triponey will know how much money is available and make her final decisions on allocation.
