Monday, December 2, 1996
USAC:
Deal will give organization $3,000 in discretionary fundingBy
Ryan Ozimek
Daily Bruin Staff
In a first step toward raising funds from outside the
university, the undergraduate student council (USAC) is striking a
deal with GTE that will give the undergraduate government $3,000 to
use at its discretion.
Needing to support its programming with a dwindling budget, the
student government is both cutting back on spending and searching
for new ways to collect funds while providing its services to
students.
"This all goes back to our goal of giving direct services to the
student body," said USAC President John Du. "This is a great
opportunity for students to save some money."
With the students’ association (ASUCLA) pulling out of its
financial problems and students gearing up for possible student fee
hikes, USAC finds itself at an economic crossroads. With more
services than ever now offered to students, the council needs to
find money outside the university if it is to continue funding
those programs.
"I welcome any effort by student government to raise its own
funds so we can avoid from taking away from the student groups who
need that money," USAC Internal Vice President Glenn Inanaga
said.
GTE’s offer is an opportunity for USAC to preventing a raise in
student fees or cuts in programming, council members said. To
receive the money, the student government will act as a campus
promoter of the company’s Universal Lifeline service to
students.
"It’s a matter of us being asked to distribute the information,"
Inanaga said. "It’s more informational than anything. It’s a
service that the students should be educated about."
While the additional $3,000 does not completely solve the
government’s funding concerns, "seeking outside funding for student
activities remains an important avenue to explore," Du said.
The money raised would fund other student programs such as the
book-lending program and other council projects.
"The $3,000 will augment the contingency that we already have,"
Du said. "For the past four years, this is the most money I’ve seen
created by USAC through fund-raising."
Recent UCLA graduate and former USAC presidential chief of staff
Daniel Ryu presented the offer to council members as an agent of
Lang, Murakawa and Wong, a Los Angeles outreach firm.
The offer represents GTE’s outreach efforts to underrepresented
groups and the telephone company’s continued compliance with laws
mandating GTE to provide affordable telephone service to low-income
individuals. Off-campus students who apply for and fit Universal
Lifeline’s requirements can save around $100 each year, Ryu
said.
Although his group of associates mainly focuses on the
Asian-American population, Ryu came to the undergraduate government
after deciding such a program could affect the entire off-campus
population, he said.