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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.