After weeks of debating the issue, the Associated Students UCLA Board of Directors approved an emergency funding request for the undergraduate student government at the board’s meeting on Friday.

In a 7-2 vote, the Board approved a $76,000 allocation to the Undergraduate Students Association Council through a loan-like system, which would be used to fund student programming for the rest of the year.

Student programming took a funding hit earlier in the year when USAC found out their surplus funds were lower than expected.

The board will give the money to USAC immediately. Rich Delia, ASUCLA’s chief financial officer, characterized the funds as a “bridge” to next year.

“(Next year is) when the tough decisions are going to come,” Delia said during Friday’s meeting.

The board increased the funding request to $76,000 after taking into account next year’s council’s projected surplus of about $161,000. The request initially was for $100,000, but a finance services committee reduced it by 25 percent a week earlier.

ASUCLA will distribute the funds through a method in which USAC will have up to $76,000 to spend this year on student programming. Any amount of the $76,000 spent this year will be deducted from next year’s surplus by ASUCLA.

But if next year’s surplus is lower than expected, leaving USAC with negative surplus funds after money is given back to the association, ASUCLA will cover the difference.

Bob Williams, executive director of ASUCLA, said this funding approach would effectively allow USAC to spend next year’s surplus now. But he also warned that this is only a short-term fix.

“I think with this approach, it’s very likely that next year’s council will be at this meeting,” Williams said to the Board of Directors.

Additionally, taking funds from next year’s council will create new problems, Williams said.

He raised the question of whether next year’s council would be able to fund student programming at the same level with so little money.

Leftover funds available for next year’s council are estimated to be about $161,000. Events like Bruin Bash, which cost roughly $90,000 this year, are staged through those funds.

After gaining board approval, USAC must decide whether to accept the funds at its Tuesday meeting. If it does accept the funds, it must then decide how much to distribute to programming this year, said David Bocarsly, a USAC general representative.

Accepting the money means that amount will not be available to next year’s council through the surplus. Refusing it, however, would deepen the cuts to student programming already in place, said Ronald Arruejo, chair of the USAC Finance Committee. If the council does not accept the money, he plans to recommend further cuts to weekly student programming.

Bocarsly said he will suggest the council accept the money, but not use all of it.

“Our job is to look out for students this year, but also in the future,” Bocarsly said, “We need to make it through the year and allow future councils to do the same thing as well.”