UPC receives additional money for major campus events

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Anne Virginia KoeppReporter

UPC will receive $10,000, while the rest will likely go toward SA’s electronic message boards.

The University Program Council received $10,000 from the Students’ Association to bring in headlining entertainment acts.

The money, which came from SA’s recent $15,000 in bed, board and booze (3B) tax funds, will go to UPC’s major events fund Eric Haiar, SA state and local chair, said.

Though UPC oversees the fund, it is not part of their general budget, Haiar said. Rather, that money for UPC goes to the separate major events fund, which is designed to bring “big-name concerts and comedians to campus,” Haiar said.

“We are working on who may come to campus,” UPC President Michael Preszler said.

Preszler said UPC is working to get outside sponsors so they can bring in even bigger headliners to Brookings.

“I would love to have big names come to campus,” said Michele Story, an early childhood education major. “I’m glad the campus can use that money to bring events here since students are big contributors for the fund.”

UPC does not need to go through the city of Brookings to access the 3B tax fund or to request approval for use of the funds. Rather, UPC lets the Visitor Promotions Committee know of their plans for fund use.

SA will most likely put the other $5,000 toward their long-planned electronic message board initiative

In the past five years, SA received $35,000 in 3B tax funds but felt that since students are required to purchase a meal plan on campus in addition to other expenses, more of the tax fund ought to go to students.

The 3B tax is applied to the cost for bed, board, and booze for Brookings hotels and eating establishments. Since SDSU was such a large generator for the tax fund, SA argued that they should receive more of that money. At the city council meeting held Nov. 9, the board voted 5-2 to increase the funds provided for SA.

“The students got an extra $15,000 in tax money for programming aimed at keeping students in town, bringing the total that students receive each year from the tax to $50,000,” said Eric Haiar, state and local chair for SA.

#1.1898167:3303031429.png:augustana-BRUA.png:With the additional funding, the UPC with be able to bring more acts like Augustana to SDSU.:Collegian Photo by Stephen Brua