Order was kept, but tempers flared at the weekly Government of the Student Body meeting Wednesday night.

Several bills that would allocate extra funding to student groups were on the agenda, sparking debate among the GSB senators.

The first bill heard was a request by the Latino Heritage Month Committee for additional funding from the Senate.

“I have a big problem with this,” said Charles Wakefield, senior in computer engineering.

He said that the extra allocation of $1,500 would be an unacceptably high amount. The funds would come from the GSB’s student appreciation account, which is to be used for entertainment events for students.

The account, which contains $5,000 in total funds, consists of interest gained on GSB reserve accounts rather than student fees.

Another concern voiced by several senators was that the LHM committee had already entered into contractual agreements to hire entertainers for its event before ensuring the committee would receive additional funding from GSB.

“That’s just not how we’re supposed to do things,” Wakefield said. “It sets a bad precedent for other groups.”

Some of the finer points of the debate became difficult to follow for the students in attendance.

“This is interesting, but it’s taking a long time,” said Takiyah Abdulmalik, junior in food science.

She said she was surprised at how much work the GSB puts into passing bills.

The GSB will continue to debate special allocations in the upcoming weeks.

All organizations requesting additional funds must attend an informational session held by GSB. The allocations meeting itself will be held Oct. 13.

The Senate also took time during the meeting to ensure that off-campus ISU students are adequately represented.

Jason O’Leary, junior in mechanical engineering, was approved as the off-campus senator for the upcoming school year.

When asked about his qualifications for the position, O’Leary stuck with the simple approach.

“I’m a good guy,” he said.

The Senate also heard from Erwin Klaas, a candidate for the Ames City Council. Klaas hopes to represent the 2nd Ward, which includes Frederiksen Court and Schilleter/University Village.

He promised to try to foster a closer relationship between the university and the city of Ames. One of his proposals for accomplishing this is giving voting privileges to the Ames City Council’s ISU student representative, who is currently a nonvoting member of the council.

The debate continued after publication time. See www.gsb.iastate.edu for a full report.