For the first time in several months, KAMP Student Radio officials can finally breathe easy.

The Arizona Board of Regents unanimously approved KAMP’s student fee at their meeting on Aug. 15, ending a drawn-out waiting game that began last semester and extended well into the summer.

The proposed $2 fee was passed during March’s Associated Students of the University of Arizona general elections by a two-thirds student vote. Attitudes turned from joy to confusion, though, as it became clear that securing KAMP funding for the next five years went beyond simply passing a student vote, said Neema Eshrati, KAMP general manager.

Whereas regents have simply passed the station’s fee based on student votes in past years, the board requested several documents this summer from KAMP, and spoke extensively with station officials, leading some to wonder if KAMP’s funding was in trouble, Eshrati explained.

Because of the complications that extended into the summer, KAMP officials were not taking the August vote for granted until after the board’s session, Eshrati said.

“”We didn’t know exactly what to expect,”” he said. “”I came in with good confidence and left happy.””

Although the vote gained much attention around the station’s office, it did not negatively affect KAMP’s tasks at hand, said Greg Goodrum CQ GREG GOODRUM, KAMP programming director.

“”This does allow us to solely look at KAMP(‘s current duties),”” he said. “”We didn’t sacrifice any of our abilities.””

Going into the vote, the station’s employees felt that if the vote failed to pass, “”there must have been something that was overlooked,”” Goodrum said.

“”I was in no way surprised,”” said ASUA President Tommy Bruce, who appeared at the voting session as a student advocate for KAMP.

While a failed vote may not have spelled the end for KAMP, it would have put the station “”on life support,”” said Karl Goranowski, KAMP’s general manager at the time of the March student vote.

A failed vote may have forced KAMP to move their location and work with undesirable equipment, Eshrati said.

In order to avoid the same hassles every five years, KAMP and ASUA are currently exploring alternatives that include figuring out ways to turn the funding cycles into a more long-term solution, Bruce said.

More serious talks about such alternatives are not likely to happen until KAMP’s current five-year cycle is close to running out, Bruce said.

“”It’s a long way away,”” Eshrati sProxy-Connection: keep-alive
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d. “”And it’s not going to be a simple matter.””

In the past, Bruce advocated exploring the possibility of adding KAMP to the university’s student activity fee. Eshrati expressed concern for such an idea, though, as the addition would take away the station’s current independent status.

If the station received a negative student survey after being added to the student activity fee, KAMP funding could be pulled, Eshrati said.

“”KAMP’s independence is a top priority right now,”” Goodrum said. “”There’s nothing definite we’re pursuing right now, but there are ideas on the table.””