UW president Mark Emmert spoke at last night’s meeting of the ASUW Senate, briefly reflecting on a wide range of topics in a short amount of time.

From Americans with Disabilities Act accommodations to on-campus child care, Emmert touched on fringe issues brought to light by questions from members of the ASUW Senate. He continuously found his focus drawn to finances, though.

“There are lots and lots of programs we’d like to fund, but there are always tradeoffs,” Emmert said.

Emmert discussed his and the administration’s attempt to close the financial gap between the UW and its peer institutions.

Institutions like UCLA, Berkley and Michigan spend an average of $4,000 more per student per year Emmert said, primarily because they receive funding from their state.

Citing the newly proposed budget increase by Gov. Christine Gregoire as a “very good first step,” he and the administration continue “arguing to close the gap in six years,” noting the two largest contributions to a university’s budget as state and tuition money.

Kyle Albert, a representative at large for the Residence Hall Student Association, heard Emmert speak before about the topic of finances.

“He focuses a lot on the gap between us and peer institutions,” Albert said.

Emmert mentioned several projects immediately seeking support and funding.

The first of these is “Restore the Core” — a renovation project for core buildings on the UW campus.

Another is “Husky Promise” — Emmert’s “simple notion” to get scholarships for students who come from low-income families in Washington.

The third is “Students First” — a scholarship fund for all students that urges donations of $100,000, which will be matched by an additional $50,000 from the UW and seeks support from the business community.

When asked about his own sizable and recently controversial salary, Emmert replied that he had privately donated $150,000 to the UW scholarship funds.

The question of where money will come from for future projects and those in progress is a rising concern for the University community.

“The full sticker price of tuition is going up a lot,” Albert said. “He didn’t assuage my concerns of tuition increases for those of us who pay the full price.”

Reach reporter Kass Bessert at kassbassert@thedaily.washington.edu