Government of the Student Body senators have decided to attempt to override President Sophia Magill’s veto negating Iowa Student Public Interest Research Group’s student-funded office status.

Frederiksen Court Senator Kyle Krause said he would move to override the veto at GSB’s meeting Wednesday.

“If everyone who voted for it in the first place votes for it again, we’ve got the votes to override it,” he said. “I think there’s probably support from most of them who gave it their support the first time.”

Magill said she decided to veto the bill last week because, as a representative of all ISU students, she felt it was her duty to make decisions in the students’ best interest.

“This is something I’ve really been thinking about even since I was a senator,” she said. “I think they’re valuable as an organization, but they don’t have the capacity to be a student funded office. … Most students I’ve talked to aren’t even aware of what PIRG does or how it benefits them.”

At the meeting, the senate will also discuss a bill that would change how GSB funds social services organizations in Story County.

GSB — along with the city of Ames, United Way of Story County, the Story County Board of Supervisors and the state of Iowa — gives money to several social services organizations in the area through the recommendations of the Analysis of Social Services Evaluation Team.

For the current fiscal year, GSB allocated $140,000 of money from student fees to be given to ASSET funding priorities.

GSB Treasurer Dan Becker said ASSET had set its recommendations for GSB funding to local social services agencies at nearly $20,000 more than that because they thought that was what GSB had allocated.

“The agencies have already spent months preparing their budgets, and it’s not fair if we pull out of it,” Becker said. “So we’re trying to find a way to fund it this year.”

Trying to solve the shortfall is difficult, said Finance Director Kristi Kramer, because GSB is working with a tight budget. Kramer said GSB hasn’t decided what to do but has already considered some plans.

“If we can cut money from recommendations for the 2005-06 fiscal year, we’ll try to roll it back into this year,” Becker said.

Becker said ASSET funds have been a hot topic in GSB for a few years because members have felt that some agencies receiving ASSET funds do not serve student interests.

“This way there’s not always a guarantee we’ll see this money be useful to students,” he said. “Since we’re out to represent students, we think it’s a problem that needs to be addressed.”

The bill up for discussion Wednesday would change GSB bylaws, allowing the government to directly fund social services organizations that most benefit students.

Assistant City Manager Sheila Lundt, city staff person for ASSET, said she was unaware of the bill.

“It will be unfortunate if GSB does this because it is important to other funders to have the student perspective during the recommendation process,” Lundt said.

Both Kramer and Becker said they wouldn’t feel comfortable pulling ASSET funding for fiscal year 2005 because the group has already been planning its recommendations with the organizations.

“With the amendment we’re planning to introduce, the bylaw change would take effect in the beginning of the fiscal year 2006 funding process,” Becker said. “Then we would no longer be funding ASSET, but we would still fund the agencies directly.”

Funding for Team PrISUm will also be discussed at the meeting. The group, which designs, builds and races solar-powered cars, is requesting $20,000 in funds to help them pay for materials for this year’s project.