The Government of the Student Body may purchase a new minivan for the organization’s fleet of vehicles. Students and campus organizations are able to lease the GSB vehicles for on- or off-campus activities, said Jason Carroll, vice chair of the finance committee.

“We are replacing an old van in the fleet with a new van to keep the fleet updated and safe,” he said.

Carroll said GSB usually purchases one or two new vehicles per year. The old Minivan, a 2000 Dodge Caravan, is being discarded because it has traveled 69,000 miles. David Strom, manager of transportation services, said this van will have more than 75,000 miles by the time the new vehicle, a 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan, arrives.

Andrea Smook, senator for the finance committee, co-wrote the minivan bill.

“We want to keep enough vehicles to meet capacity and keep them up to date and safe,” Smook said.

The old van will be auctioned for an estimated $6,000 to $6,500, and the new van will be purchased for $16,550, Strom said.

The money for the purchase will come out of a Van Administration Account, created specifically for buying new vehicles.

Strom said in order to determine which van would be the best buy for GSB, a bidding process occurs. It is state law to allow all dealerships in Iowa to participate in the bidding process and then select the lowest life cycle cost bid.

Life cycle cost is determined by the analysis of resale of the vehicle in five years. The cost of gasoline for the specific vehicle, predetermined by the Environmental Protection Agency, also goes into the life cycle cost analysis, he said.

“The least expensive bid is not always the one bought,” Strom said. “The bid is determined by which vehicle is going to cost the least over time.”

The minivan is the only general order that will be discussed at the meeting. The meeting will also include the first read of a bill to fund the table tennis club and revision of the election code. GSB will meet at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the Campanile room of the Memorial Union.