MELISSA HALTERMAN/Arizona Daily Wildcat Biochemistry junior Payam Morgan and family studies and human development sophomore Gina Pierotti examine the new calendars of UA Presents events. Both students work as ushers for UA Presents.

When last year's budget cuts threatened student jobs at UApresents, they decided to take action.

The student employees formed the UApresents student association to work with the communication and development departments and come up with some solutions to save their jobs.

The student employees met with UApresents' full time staff at the end of last semester. At that meeting and the ones that followed, they found ways to save money and agreed to work with the full-time UApresents staff to promote the shows and bring in bigger audiences.

"They were so enthralled with our student association idea that they decided to pay," said Claire McInnes, a molecular and cellular biology senior and the club's president.

The club, which is in its first year, came up with ideas about how to cut corners. For example, all of the ushers started coming to work 15 minutes later. The time they gave up amounted to very little pay difference for each individual, but put together it amounted to an entire usher position.

The club is also working to reach out to the UA student population and to young people around Tucson in order to bring in a bigger audience.

"We are trying to gear UApresents more toward the UA community," McInnes said. "With this strong student voice now we're really trying to get shows that students want to see."

Connecting with students has been a priority for UApresents director Ken Foster, who recently announced his resignation.

When he arrived, students made up only about 5 percent of the audience at most UApresents performances.

Foster aimed to boost student attendance by creating a 50 percent student discount for nearly all performances.

This season "The Producers" is the only show without a student discount available.

"Broadway pays the bills," said Anthea Scouffas, UApresents community engagement director. "These other performances are really what being an arts center is all about."

The Broadway shows attract a lot of attention, but UApresents has also become known for its diversity of programming that has expanded to include a variety of jazz, hip hop and modern dance performances from all corners of the globe.

"We do a lot that I think students on campus would be interested in," said Staci Santa, the Centennial Hall house manager and the UApresents student association adviser. "Students just don't know what is happening."

That is where the student association would like to come into play.

Members of the student association and Foster would like to get students more involved. However, UApresents does not market directly to students, McInnes said.

"If we can get a good mix in the audience the vibe is really amazing," Foster said.

The UApresents student association plans to get the word out on campus about performances, possibly using ads in the Wildcat or mass mailings, Santa said.

The group also hopes to get students involved in educational opportunities that UApresents organizes.

"This is a program that is not just about entertaining people," he said.

UApresents organizes artist "residencies" around their performance times. These events give the general public the opportunity to meet and work the artists.

Foster's diverse programming has drawn a wider audience, but it also has helped to make UApresents a great workplace for students, McInnes said.

"In terms of what he's done, it's astounding how UApresents has changed and how many people are seeing the programming," she said. "This is a great job. It's probably the best job I've ever had."

Foster said that when students come to work at UApresents they usually stay until they graduate.

"The people that come here are all interested in the arts. So you have something in common with people," said Samantha Scaif, a sophomore majoring in English and a member of the student association.

The association is mainly comprised of UApresents employees but welcomes anyone with an interest in promoting the arts, she said.

For more information about the UApresents student association, contact club adviser Staci Santa at santa@email.arizona.edu.