Ben Higgins, the star of the 20th season of “The Bachelor,” is paying a visit to Ohio University on Monday at 7 p.m. in the Baker University Center theater.
The free event will feature a Q&A segment of pre-approved questions and the floor will then open up to questions from the audience. Photo opportunities will also be available after the event.
The event is courtesy of the University Program Council, or UPC, which is a group of university student volunteers who work to provide free events on OU’s campus.
Reagan Goldberg, UPC president and senior studying restaurant, hotel and tourism and hospitality management, said the annual Bachelor event is a UPC staple.
Goldberg said the process involves communication between UPC and agencies associated with former Bachelor and Bachelorette contestants.
“We go through production agency companies and they’re the middle person,” Goldberg said. “They will get in touch with whoever they represent and say, ‘This club out of Ohio University wants to hire you for a show… what’s your asking price?’”
Although the events are marketed as free events, the money that pays for UPC’s events comes from student fees.
“Whenever you sign up to go to OU there’s the student activities fee,” Goldberg said. "That’s the fee you have to pay for student activities and that money gets distributed amongst three organizations.”
Luke Vannus, UPC’s treasurer and a sophomore studying family consumer science education said the organization’s yearly budget is supplemented by student fees that the Senate Appropriations Commission, or SAC, distributes.
The three student organizations that receive funding from student activity fees are UPC, the Black Student Cultural Programming Board, or BSCPB, and the International Student Union, or ISU.
“We have to explain what we spend our money on, justify why we spend it and provide numbers,” Vannus said. “We send stuff and … explain why we want more money so we can do the main things we want to do.”
UPC is responsible for multiple events like the Bachelor event throughout the school year. These events include the annual throwback concert and family weekend events. UPC also sponsors “Flavor of the Week,” which provides free food on Wednesdays at noon on the third floor of Baker.
Because UPC events are free and funding is determined by SAC allocations rather than ticket sales, UPC does not earn money from its events. Vannus said that rising costs due to inflation have made UPC’s events more difficult to plan.
“Costs have gone up a lot over the past year,” Vannus said. Just with the budget we had before it was going to be hard to provide any substance, like food, for people.”
Despite the increase in costs, UPC events will continue to be free for students.
“Our goal isn’t to make money; our goal is to provide stuff that you can count on,” Vannus said. “Our slogan is ‘memories you can count on.’”
Connor Harless, a sophomore studying political science, said he hadn’t heard of the event but thought it would be worthwhile to stop by to see Higgins.
“I'd put myself in the running for Ben Higgins,” Harless said. “I want a date with Ben Higgins; he’s attractive.”
