Habitat for Humanity showed up to Wednesday night’s Government of the Student Body meeting to ask for travel expenses that were cut by the Finance Committee.

The Finance Committee did not allocate the requested $500 to Habitat for Humanity during its brief meeting.

The Senate voted to override the Finance Committee’s decision, but that vote failed.

Senator Anthony Maly then made a motion to refer back to the Finance Committee, so the Senate took a second recess in order for the Finance Committee to meet again.


The Finance Committee sent the bill back to Senate, for a second time, without the $500 added back in.


Senator Erik Hofstad then made a motion to remove Senators Dan Finnegan and Brian Ryherd from the Finance Committee because of malfeasance during the second Finance Committee meeting.


Senator Tyler Albaugh argued that removing the senators because of malfeasance was harsh, because some senators had still been using Facebook and Twitter throughout Senate meetings.


Vice President Chandra Peterson then said that she would encourage people not to harass the Senate, because she believes it has done a great job.


Senator Maly agreed with Senator Albaugh, and said that he does not find not wanting to fund Habitat for Humanity a malfeasance of duty, even though he did want to fund them.


The term “malfeasance” was then defined using the GSB Constitution, although the Constitution was only referring to removing a senator from his or her Senate seat.


It was decided the senator who made the motion did not have to explain why he wanted the senators removed, so it was made clear that the whole motion was for Senators Finnegan and Ryherd to be removed from their seats on Finance Committee.


The motion failed, and the senators were not removed from their Finance Committee seats.


The Senate then sent the bill back to the Finance Committee for a third time.


There were varying opinions in the third Finance Committee meeting.


At-large member David Ackerman said the cuts were valid, and that by reinstating the money it could make other groups appear to be invaluable.


Maly said that the appeals process for regular allocations was created for a reason — the Senate considered the process, and it should be the Senate’s decision in the end.


Maly also mentioned that Habitat for Humanity, even with the $500, will still receive a modest decrease of funds.


“We are debating $500 here, and that money is not going to break the bank,” said Senator Sagar Chawla.


Chawla continued, saying that the Finance Committee was impeding Senate’s will.


“We as a Finance Committee are a stubborn group,” Ryherd said. “We didn’t budge for student organizations, and we’re not going to change for this. If you think you have to impeach us to have your way, do it.”


Ackerman, Hofstad, Katherine Benton, Ryherd and Finnegan voted no during the third meeting.


Maly, Kayla Pinegar and Christopher Bone voted yes during the third meeting.


The bill was then referred back to Senate with no changes for a third time.


Hofstad then made another motion to remove Ryherd and Finnegan. Hofstad said that both

Senators would be excited to leave their seats.


Senator John Schultz then said there was no reason to remove the senators just to get the results that the Senate wanted to hear.


Hofstad then withdrew his motion.


The bill was then sent back to Finance Committee for a fourth time, with a recommendation to zero fund non-conference fees at $148.50, and fund the $500 conference fees.


During the Finance Committee meeting, Ackerman made an amendment to cut both non-conference fees and conference fees. That amendment failed quickly.


There was then a vote of 4-4 on adding the conference fees and deleting the non-conference fees. Finance Committee Director Tom Danielson voted yes to break the tie.


The bill was then referred back to Senate.


Maly then asked the Senate to suspend the rules and add $148.50 back into the budget.


The request to suspend the rules failed.


There was then a motion to consider the bill as a whole, which failed, so Maly made a motion to move the bill back to Finance Committee with instructions to add back in the $148.50.
Albaugh then asked why the Senate would do this, since Finance Committee had made up its mind. Senator Michael Heilman said that the Senate had made up its mind as well.


The motion was then laid on the table, and there was another motion to consider the bill as a whole.


The motion failed again.


Senator Tor Finseth then called for the removal of Finnegan and Ryherd from the Finance Committee.


The request to remove the Senators failed for a third time.


Schultz then called for the removal of Senator Maly and Senator Moe from the Finance Committee.


GSB President Jonathan Turk then stood up and said, “This is becoming a circus … we look like fools.”


The Senate then called a recess.


During the recess, Turk spoke to new senators saying he will use the Executive Initiative, which currently holds close to $1,800, to pay them the $148.50 as long as the new Senate fixes the rules next year so the Senate makes the final decision on regular allocation funding appeals.


The Senate considered the bill as a whole, and it was passed.


The Senate then discussed account allocations for fiscal year 2011, which tallied up to

$1,692,562.50 after a zero percent increase in student fees.


The bill was quickly passed.


The bill, “Uniforming Our Classifications” was also discussed. This bill called for a few by-laws to be amended, and was created after issues with the SAE Club resulting from unclear rules as to when a club can join the GSB after receiving funding from another constituency council.