At Fort Lewis College, Student Union Productions brings entertainment to the campus and the student body.

 

SUP is financed by student fees, Derek Abt, chairman of the Financial Allocation Board, said. Financing SUP costs about $15 per student per year.

 

SUP also raises about $4,000 annually, he said. This allows each chair member of SUP to receive a $450 scholarship per semester.

 

Abt said SUP receives its funding from the FAB, which allocates funding to Registered Student Organizations. SUP is an RSO 2 that has dedicated, unpaid staff members who attend organizational meetings.

 

The FAB receives about $50 per credit hour in student fees, he said.

 

SUP’s largest and most expensive event of the year is FLC’s Skyfest, Abt said. It costs over $30,000 to host.

 

He said most other events cost much less.

 

Other Events

 

It costs between $1000 and $3000 to host SUP’s bi-weekly live entertainment.  This generally features either comedians or other live performers, Abt said. SUP spends $50 per screening on its weekly Wednesday night movie, totalling  $100 dollars per week for the 2 showings.

 

SUP is also working on a haunted house, Abt said.

 

When it comes to planning events, it all starts with a creative idea, Naomi Bigbee, promotions chair for SUP, said.

 

“This is really the fun part,” she said

 

After this, SUP works on logistics. This includes finding a date, booking a space, contracting with the artist and making promotional materials, Bigbee said.

 

SUP promotes its events in multiple ways, Abt said. They use digital signage, posters and other advertisements. Skyfest emails are sent out to the entire student body, he said.

 

SUP’s goals include providing high quality and relevant entertainment to the student body, Bigbee, said. SUP also strives to collaborate with other RSOs to create diverse events and reach a more diverse audience.

 

Bigbee said SUP events are a great place to meet students one might not otherwise encounter.

 

Events are also a great break from schoolwork, she said.

 

Join SUP

 

SUP is an excellent RSO for anyone interested in events planning, the music industry, logistics, performing or people with great ideas for events, Bigbee said.

 

Abt said SUP is a great place for students to learn skills such as in marketing, finance and other real-world aspects of life.

 

Abt said it also helps students get a better understanding of money.

 

“Once you join an organization you start adding zeros,” he said.

 

SUP’s website says students who have an idea for an event, speaker or program are welcome to share it with SUP. The Web page says SUP is a great way to get involved and get the inside scoop on events.

 

Abt said students should get involved with SUP.

 

Meetings are at 6 p.m. in the Cascade Room of the Student Union Building. All students are welcome to attend, he said.