Crimson Nights brings thousands of students to campus on a Friday night, but funding for the monthly campus bash has been in limbo.

The Associated Students of the University of Utah has agreed to give $50,000 this year to sponsor Crimson Nights and other Union Programming Council events in exchange for free advertising.

While leaders in UPC said the student government has been their foremost supporter, they are pushing to have Redbook, the student constitution, changed to permanently secure funding for their activities.

“We’re afraid that?in the future, a hostile administration will come in and have all these things against Crimson Nights-they don’t understand it, and they (might) pull the funding,” said Eric Hu, UPC executive director.

Hu said that, even though the measure is still in the planning phases, he has received support from a number of senators in ASUU.

Student Body President Jake Kirkham said he would not push for any effort to change Redbook to secure money for Crimson Nights, though.

“I want future administrations to be able to decide how they appropriate money to the UPC,” Kirkham said. “But if 64 representatives say otherwise, I’ll have to listen to them.”

Hu said he has been working with Alicia Taase, Kirkham’s attorney general, who he said has been “very supportive.”

Shadie Ghaibi, ASUU senate chair, said the bill will likely not go before the school’s senate until November and will be discussed more in coming weeks.

Despite disagreement over an amendment to Redbook, students in UPC said Kirkham’s administration has been a strong supporter of the group.

Julie Tran, Crimson Nights director, said the current ASUU administration has allowed UPC to use the money it receives from student government more freely than in past years.

“They’re giving us a lump-sum that will enable us to not do as much paperwork,” she said.

Tran said that in the past, ASUU required UPC to get every budget item for Crimson Nights approved. But now, she said, UPC is allowed to spend the money and then provide ASUU with a record of its spending.

Hu said he believes the relationship between ASUU and UPC has improved.

“I think a couple years back, there was a little bit of tension between ASUU and UPC,” Hu said. “This year we worked out a lot of those differences and, hopefully, that will continue in future years.”

Kim Peterson

Sophomore Chase Johnson peels himself off the Velcro wall at Crimson Nights on Aug. 25 in the Union Ballroom.