Diversity funding and the priorities of the Government of the Student Body were planted amongst the trees Wednesday.

The GSB held their final Senate meeting before spring break in the Campanile Room of the Memorial Union to focus on issues that didn’t pertain to the GSB election results to be announced Thursday.

The three main issues discussed during the first read period were the Regular Allocations Recommendations for Fiscal Year 2009 funding, the funding bill for Facilities, Planning and Management to plant 10 new trees where oak trees had been cut down last week and bill to fund a diversity event.

The biggest item on the agenda was the regular allocations bill, which will allocate $1,079,841.05 to student groups that have requested funds for the upcoming fiscal year. GSB will vote on the bill on March 26.

A bill to give funding to a GSB diversity event on March 24 was passed without a second read, but not without debate. The event will boast ethnic food, presentations and dances.

“The inspiration for the event was that the [GSB] has not held a diversity event in a very long time,” said Olga Beglet, director of student diversity and senior in psychology.

Some senators objected to the event on the grounds that some students wouldn’t be back the Monday after spring break. The event also comes on the heels of another diversity-related event, the Global Gala, which was held on March 8. Some were confused as to why GSB would fund a diversity event, rather that the Diversity Committee.

GSB rallied behind the event after remarks were made by President Brian Phillips, senior in political science.

He said the GSB bylaws deem student diversity “important enough to actually have a cabinet position.”

“The question of whether or not this is something that we should be doing – I believe that it is,” he said. “That is why is has been a part of our cabinet positions for so long. This is something we should be doing on a regular basis.”

The bill passed 16-3-0.

Earlier in the meeting, Senators questioned whether or not GSB should fund projects for FP&M, particularly to plant 10 trees.

Finance Director Ryan Myers, graduate student in accounting, said students seem to care about the issue and that GSB has a history of helping the university in general.

“If we say it is a priority, we have the means and the assets to get the project done,” he said. “If we have the priorities and assets, then we will make it happen.”

The bill passed 11-9-0.

After closing remarks, Senator Cole England, sophomore in veterinary medicine, said the University Affairs Committee did a walk-through of the campus earlier in the week, and found 10 streetlamps that needed to be replaced.

He advised students to “kick” the streetlamps to “get them working again.”