The proposed University Board concert fee continued along the approval process Thursday, passing through the Student Senate Tuition and Fee Review Committee by a unanimous vote.

UB Vice Chair Caleb Judy and UB Concert Coordinator Bud Wierenga spoke before the committee, which voted to pass the proposal on to the Student Senate. The same presentation will be given to the senate Wednesday.

From the senate, the $5 per semester fee proposal will go to Shirley Stewart, interim vice president for student affairs, interim President Lou Hencken and then to Eastern’s Board of Trustees.

If the proposal makes its way through that process in time for the board to approve it at its April meeting, the fee could go into effect next fall.

Rising entertainment costs combined with loss of seating in Lantz Arena and the risks associated with zero-based budgets caused the UB to stop bringing concerts unless another source of funding could be obtained.

“There’s a lot of different things that go into the cost (of a concert),” Wierenga said.

A survey this past fall of approximately 800 students indicated 82 percent wanted to see major entertainment come back to Eastern and 78 percent would be willing to pay a $5 fee, the presentation said. The spring referendum produced a vote in favor of the concert fee.

With a $5 per semester concert fee, a base budget of about $50,000 per semester would prevent loss of money and give students a discount on tickets. Questions from the committee focused on how many concerts would be provided, where they would take place, and the possibilities of shows selling out.

It is not likely that students would miss out on a concert because of a sell out, Judy said. Only a few shows have sold out in the past 10 years, the Beach Boys and Bill Cosby, Judy said.