The Government of the Student Body made a discovery last week — a long-lost bank account containing nearly $3,000.

But senators had barely blown the dust off the deposit book before they were dreaming of the best ways to spend the money. They seem to have settled on showing students how much their student leaders love them by spending the money on “student appreciation” events.

A bill to be introduced at Wednesday’s meeting calls for the lost account to be renamed the “student appreciation” account; it also calls for the money in that account to be used for events like the student appreciation tailgate before Saturday’s game against Kansas.

Can GSB do anything other than spend students’ money?

Honestly, exactly how many students are going to benefit from ice cream socials on Central Campus? 100? 500? 1,000? After all, nothing spells “student appreciation” like free food, right?

Wrong. Students are already paying more than they have in the past.

Tuition and fees have gone up, but enrollment has dropped, meaning, ultimately, fewer dollars for GSB to dole out to student groups and clubs, many of which depend on GSB allocations for the majority of their budgets. The holes in those budgets mean students who want to participate end up paying for more club activities or equipment out of their own pockets.

The money in that account came from student fees (OK, student fees from the ’80s, but student fees nonetheless). And what does GSB want to do with that money? They want to spend it on social events to show the students how much they’re appreciated and loved by their leaders.

How far is that $3,000 going to go? The senate wants $1,500 for a tailgate Saturday. If the bill is passed, that leaves $1,500 in the account — enough for one more event.

Moving the money to an account that gains more interest is a great idea; kudos to Kyle Krause, Frederiksen Court senator, for figuring that out. The interest will help fill in the holes left in everyone’s budgets come allocation time — even if it’s not this spring.

But use the money for something more productive than social events.

You want to show the highest percentage of students that you appreciate them?

Then do something worthwhile that students will appreciate: Give them their money back.