UA releases tentative budget

The Undergraduate Assembly released its 2010-2011 Budget Recommendation today.

Overall, the UA has seen a 3.76 percent budget increase due to funding gains from the Board of Trustees, according to UA Chairman Alec Webley, a College junior.

A major goal of the UA this year, according to UA Treasurer and College senior Sakina Zaidi, is to raise the Student Activities Council budget by as much as — or more than­ — the overall UA budget increase. As a result, the SAC budget has expanded by 7.31 percent — the largest SAC funding increase ever.

“Over the years, SAC has really suffered because of the unfortunate success of the sports program,” Webley said, explaining that SAC money supports Penn sports teams. When Penn athletics are successful, he added, their trips to national championships “put a severe drain on SAC funds.”

Another notable amendment to the budget is a $89,092.27 decrease in the Social Planning and Events Committee’s contingency fund.

The contingency fund, Webley explained, “was designed to deal with cost overruns and new initiatives.”

Traditionally, SPEC Vice President and College senior Preston Hershorn explained, the funds have gone toward SPEC projects such as Spring Fling and concerts.

This year, however, the UA and SPEC worked together to replace a large contingency pool with greater funds for line items, which include both Spring Fling itself and the Spring Fling concert, according to Webley.

“Best case scenario,” Webley said, “this will mean absolutely nothing. It means that we are accurately budgeting for the full cost of Fling. SPEC will be able to devote contingency funds to actual contingencies rather than year in and year out having to fund Fling.”

Hershorn agreed that slashing SPEC’s contingency fund was part of a “balancing act … the decrease in the contingency plus the increase in concerts and Fling funding just about balance out,” he said.

“There are still some places where we’ll try to make a case for more money,” he added, “but for the most part, we’re very happy.”

For the first time, the Ivy Council has been included in the budget recommendations.

The budget committee acknowledged that insertion of the Ivy Council line item was controversial, and noted that the UA needs to discuss the implications of funding the Ivy Council.

All budget recommendations are open for discussion. Sunday, the UA will hold its Budget Hearing at 9 p.m. in the Ben Franklin Room of Houston Hall.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.