Perhaps it’s just kismet, but UPUA’s timing couldn’t have been better. Following the now-infamous decision to spend $3,000 on promotional materials, and a week off, attention now turns to the Princeton Review test prep subsidy that’s been lying in wait since the beginning of the semester. Although P.T. Barnum may have said “there’s no such thing as bad publicity,” UPUA ought to jump at the chance to flip the script for the better.

What better way is there for UPUA to ensure to students that they’re working on their behalf than to provide prep classes for graduate school exams at a reduced cost? For students planning on taking the LSAT, MCAT, GRE, or GMAT, having UPUA foot some of the bill would be a burden off their back.

And they’re invited to share their opinion, since Wednesday night’s meeting isn’t just open to the public–like all of UPUA’s meetings–but rather, it’s a Town Hall-inspired event on the first floor of the HUB, across from the ID office, rather than tucked away out of sight on the third floor of the HUB. Improving the student government’s accessibility and transparency to its constituents was one of T.J. Bard’s campaign promises, and it’s nice to see him following through, now that he’s President.

Although the Princeton Review subsidy is the lone piece of new business that will be relevant to most student observers, I wouldn’t be surprised to see students come back to the promotional funding which appears to have been universally reviled. Given the recent attention paid to the efforts by certain representatives to amend the UPUA Constitution to prevent such spending in the future, and of the controversy surrounding the Steering Committee’s surprising decision to close its meeting, in violation of UPUA bylaws–which even Occupy Penn State has caught on to–that may be a point of emphasis from the student body.

If you’re interested in coming out to voice an opinion one way or the other, the meeting should start at 8 o’clock.