The Collegian reported this morning that the UPUA and the Graduate Student Associate will receive a percentage of the funds collected through the student activity fee, which is currently set at $74 per semester. The news came out of a Student Activity Fee Board meeting that was held on Friday. Collegian Staff Reporter Ben Skalina broke the story.

Full analysis after the jump.

The amount each will receive will be determined next semester by SAFB, which will consider budgets that UPUA and GSA will submit and allocate accordingly.

UPUA President Gavin Keirans said his group is aiming to receive roughly 5 percent of the activity fee paid by undergraduates, a sum that would amount to more than $250,000 annually.

Because of the size of UPUA’s intended request, Keirans said his group would take great care putting together its budget.

$250,000 is a large sum. Currently, the UPUA is getting by on much less.

As the Collegian reported in November,

This semester, UPAC approved about $19,000 for UPUA, restricted to UPAC-approved purchases. UPUA requested about $72,000.

Later in the semester, UPUA received a $36,800 “bail-out” from Student Affairs.

UPUA President Gavin Keirans attributed the significant increase in the size of UPUA’s budget to his proposed student legal clinic, an idea we fully support.

A major reason why UPUA will be requesting such a substantial total is its planned legal services clinic, Keirans said. The operation is still in the early stages but could cost more than $100,000 per year when it comes to fruition. Major costs for the clinic would be the full-time salaries for the lawyer and staff assistant who would work there.

Guaranteed funding is great for the UPUA and GSA. Will we see similar arrangements in the future for organizations like The LION 90.7fm?

We suggest you check out the Collegian story for more details. There are still many logistical issues left to figure out– this story isn’t over yet.