Apportionment Board unanimously approved the $2,600 line-item transfer to University Board on Thursday night at AB’s meeting.

University Board asked for $2,600 to fund the second student film festival and for money to play movies in the spring.

Ryan Kerch, the UB movies coordinator, represented UB.

Kerch said an average of 110 students come to each movie weekend.

Some exceptions were Kung Fu Panda during Family Weekend, which had about 400 viewers and Sex and the City with about 200 viewers.

Kerch said it costs about $806 each time.

Kerch said UB does have money in the budget for spring movies, but if UB used that money, they would have to tap into other funds.

“If we used money from one part of our budget, we would have to cut into the money for prizes we hand out, though,” Kerch said.

Either way, UB would have had to come to AB for movies whether through this additional allocation or a line item transfer for prizes.

The rest of the money would be used for the second student film festival.

“It’s only the second one we’ve done,” Kerch said. “We want to do it pretty similar to last year where we worked with a touring company called College Film Tour that showed some independent short films and then all student made films that qualify.”

The time and date for the film festival is yet to be determined.

Kerch said the film festival could be one of the last weekends of the school year, though.

Student Apportionment Board member Julianna Stevenson said she likes weekly UB movies because she can watch movies that she did not have time to watch while during the summer.

“I don’t have to pay, and I actually have time to see the movies when I am at Eastern,” she said.

Tiffany Turner, AB chair, said she thinks the idea for UB movies is great.

Kyle Collom, student government liaison, said he has seen the positive outcome the UB movies had.

“I went to a few and they can serve many purposes,” said Collom. “They can be a cheap date or give students something else to do on a Friday night if they do not go out.”

Turner said a proposal for this additional allocation would be written and be on the Student Senate agenda at the next Student Senate meeting.

Heather Holm can be reached at 581-7942 or haholm@eiu.edu.

Ryan Kerch, University Board movies coordinator, speaks to Apportionment Board about events UB movies hosts like showing movies before they come out on DVD and short films festivals at the AB meeting on Thursday night in the Arcola/Tuscola Room of the Mar

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