Eastern’s University Board is choosing quality over quantity on the events they will be scheduling for the next school year.

The University Board has been evaluating the budget, and with the lack of money they have going into the next year they have to start cutting on university events.

The University Board has already cut back on events coming up at the end of this school year, including cutting out Pantherstock.

Pantherstock is an event similar to the Up All Nite event earlier in the year. From this cutting, it saved the board thousands of dollars at the end of the fiscal year.

Melanie Kaderabek, the vice-Chair of UB, said student enrollment dictates the board’s funding.

“University Board is directly funded by student fees so the amount we can spend is directly proportional to student enrollment,” she said.

Kaderabek said with the recent school events, the board wants to focus on quality events. The cuts to the board’s budget were made to utilize the money the board does have for next year’s events.

With the budget cuts, students will not be able to see movies as much coming to next year. Movies on campus that currently show every Friday in Buzzard Hall Auditorium will decrease.

“The amount of movies we typically show per year (will be cut) in half,” Kaderabek said.

Earlier in the year the board approved the board budget cuts of around $33,000, having $10,000 of the budgets cuts from the movie showings.

The board has over 100 events throughout the year, but Kaderabek said she did not know the number for  the upcoming year.

With the increase on the upcoming student fee increase, the board is hopeful that they will be getting some money back to help with the events that they are planning to hold for next year.

The current student fees are $2.77 for student activities, and the fees for next academic year will be $3.75 per student, an 98 cent increase. The almost-dollar increase for the student activity fee will to the board to help them with the budget issues.  The Board of Trustees approved the fee increase Friday.

Tylen Elliot, chair of the university board, was unavailable for comment.

Chris Widdel can be reached at 581-2812 or ccwiddel@eiu.edu