ASG is arguably not the most powerful group on campus looking for leadership next week. The smaller Undergraduate Budget Priorities Committee (UBPC) — which proposes projects to, and works closely with, administrators to help guide the university’s spending — is accepting applications for new members until Friday, April 6.
The UBPC recieves substantially less outside student scrutinty, but wields more power over University spending than ASG. This is the only opportunity this year for undergraduates to join the group.
"We look at anything, from abstract problems, from ‘The community at NU should be strengthened,’ to, ‘Shoot, I really don’t get any WiFI in my classroom,’” said Weinberg sophomore Chase Eck, the organization's chair.
This year’s revival of the Contemporary Thought Speaker series, which brought Harvard Professor Steven Pinker to Tech, emerged from a UBPC proposal to the administration. According to the group’s site, the UBPC also proposed the creation of spaces like The Great Room and Fran’s Cafe, the “Chicago Express” Saturday intercampus shuttle, Kellogg’s undergraduate certificate program, and the implementation in 2008 of Wi-Fi in campus dorms.
Often, UBPC’s members are high-profile student leaders: both ASG President Austin Young and Hillel President Ben Goldberg sat on the committee this year.
Although there are few spots open, Eck encouraged students of all disciplines to apply, adding that its not just a group for economics majors.
According to Eck, before the committee makes its proposal it works with adminstrators like President Schapiro, Provost Dan Linzer and Eugene Sunshine, the senior vice president of business and finance.
“I wanted to get involved with the committee because I was searching for a group where I could really do something tanbigle” Eck said.
Previous versions of the story included a quote that misrepresented Eck's view of the UBPC. Though the quote itself was correct, the context was not. After further conversation with Eck, we decided to replace the concluding quote with a more accurate statement regarding Eck's desire to get involved with the committee. The UPBC was also originally referred to as the Undergraduate Budgeting Priorities Committee, which was incorrect. Thanks to commenter fact check for pointing it out. North by Northwestern regrets the errors.