State Tech offers everything from DJ services to weddings on the campus green to concert sound to dances to events for UPC, according to  technical manager Mark Venhuizen. 

Currently the costs begin at $10 an hour for student organizations, $12 an hour for departmental use, and $15 an hour for unaffiliated groups, according to executive director of The Union Jen Novotny.

There is a possibility of those prices increasing, especially for departmental and unaffiliated users in the upcoming year. Unaffiliated groups of student labor are not in line with events at the Preforming Arts Center.

“At the end of the day some increases will be enacted,” Novotny said. As for increases for student groups, I don’t know.”

According to UPC president Alex Kunz, it will be tougher for UPC to hold as many events with a State Tech price increase. Because there is less funding in the senate, it means a UPC budget cut.

The Student University Advisory Committee and Novotny meet at least one Thursday a month and a bit more frequently recently due to changes being made structurally.

“I have talked to SUAC about the need to increase prices for state tech, which have not been increased in six years,” Novotny said.

The Student labor prices of State Tech don’t reflect the minimum wage increases, and the prices will not increase to make up for that, that cost is part of the State Tech budget, according to Novotny.

“We are looking at the future and have talked about students working with student organizations and international clubs to increase the budged request,” Novotny said.

State tech looks at how to cover the event and what the costs will be and how they can provide the service.

“I meet with the client to put in a work order and take the work order to the student manager to be able to schedule staff and work out the logistics of what the organization wants,” Venhuizen.

According to Novotny, the potential price increase was probably brought up at an SA meeting when a student group anticipated there to be an increase.

Each setup is figured into an hourly rate and work with student tech manager on staff to see how many students need to be there and figure out the cost of what the customer wants to have represented.

“We handle 4-500 events throughout the academic year. We do all repairs on gear and make sure everything is running smoothly,” Venhuizen said.

The Union holds labor lines tight and fee structures remain generally unchanged for 10-15 years at a time, which is not the best model to follow, according to Novotny.

“We work with groups to cut costs such as working with us for teardown and help with cleanup to reduce the hours state tech is paid for,” Novotny said.

With raising state tech prices it will be hard to find the money to fund all of UPC’s events, especially for bigger events that require lots of setup.

 “We are not angry towards tech. They are a Union entity and a great service,” Kunz said.

“It is important to be as flexible as possible and make appropriate changes and adjust and know things change.”

According to Novotny the increasing the budget is a possibility but nothing is set in stone. SUAC is going to look at their own expenses and talk at the meeting about constituencies. 

 “There are lots of student representatives around the table and I will see what they recommend,” Novotny said.

Novotny wants everyone to understand that this wasn’t a sneak attack; rather it is about being fiscally responsible. If anything happens it will not be enacted until at least fall at the earliest.  

“No formal proposal has been made at this time,” Novotny said.