University Board should not be asking for any more money. Apportionment Board should cut their current funding, not give them more money.

UB is intended to entertain all of Eastern’s students, but they waste the money from student’s activity fees on programs that students do not attend. For the fiscal year 2008, UB has asked for just shy of an additional $90,000. This will bring UB’s annual budget up to $331,316.48 according to the official UB proposal.

UB wastes a great deal of that money on themselves. They employee three graduate assistants in addition to one administrative assistant and Ceci Brinker, their advisor. They also send almost a dozen members to an out-of-state conference every year and have a retreat as a perk for their coordinators. The coordinators are paid – not volunteers – therefore, this perk is unnecessary. Overall, UB, not including stipends for staff members, spends over $50,000 on internal items.

For Mainstage events, UB recorded attendance anywhere from 25 to 50 people per event. That is not enough attendance to keep funding these events. However, the comedians and the Open Mic nights average around 100 people. This is a much better turnout, but not enough to keep bringing these individuals back. They need to bring better acts. Surveys show people want to go to comedians, but just don’t like the acts that are showing. The movies shown in Buzzard Hall are attended by several hundred, and over 3,000 people came to homecoming events.

The UB’s monthly magazine, Amp, was designed to advertise UB events. In addition to Amp, UB pays for $10,000 in flyers and newspaper ads. Last year, Amp received $19, 821, and wants an additional $1,789 out of student fees. This, along with the claimed $15,000 they make in advertising, gives them a $36,609 budget. Two years ago, Amp promised AB that they would be making their last request for money and would be self sufficient the next year. This proves the real meaning of Amp’s name: not amplifying your entertainment, but amplifying your student fees.

The student activity fee is currently $103 per person and rises every year. If UB would only put money into the events that work and advertise only for those events, the student entertainment rate would go up and the student activity fee could go down.

UB should put money into concerts, movies, comedians, Homecoming and Quakin’ in the Quad. These are the events students attend and want to enjoy. UB should cut Amp, cultural arts, lectures and Spring Fling at least until they can find events students want. If they were to cut these items they would be cutting nearly $90,000 out of their budget and not need extra funding from the students. UB needs to continue to bring musical and comedy acts that they make money on so the students do not need to fund them.