Money may be the root of all evil, but it was certainly the root of much discussion at Tuesday’s Faculty Senate meeting. Faculty salary increases, a proposal for a new university budget model and the funding of new academic options were all on the agenda.

ISU President Gregory Geoffroy said the enrollment outlook for next year is good.

“We are 8.3 percent ahead of this time last year in the number of students accepted,” Geoffroy said.

Jack Girton, associate professor of biochemistry, biophysics and molecular biology, gave a presentation about progress on a new university budget model.

“The concerns are, will this model do bad things for Iowa State?” Girton said. “Other institutions have had serious problems.”

Possible concerns about a new plan include whether it would create an “air of competition,” leading to colleges trying to “steal students” from each other. Geoffroy said the proposed models also have specific benefits.

“It has the potential to provide better clarity in budget decisions,” Geoffroy said. “People will have a better understanding of why things are the way they are.”

The Senate also approved by unanimous voice vote a proposal to create a minor in engineering studies.

“It provides increased career opportunities for nonengineers,” said Mark Kushner, dean of the College of Engineering.

Proposals were introduced for a new curriculum in software engineering, a new major in business economics and a recommendation to add two years of high school foreign language to the College of Engineering’s requirements for admission. The measures will be voted on at the Faculty Senate’s next meeting.