After debate, the Government of the Student Body agreed on an official stance on the first draft of Iowa State’s 2005-2010 Strategic Plan.

The senate resolution sought to support the recently released first draft of the strategic plan, which seeks to increase the prestige of the university.

College of Engineering senator Alan Johnson said he had objections to a phrase in the resolution concerning the second priority of the plan. The second priority out of four listed in the first draft of the plan emphasizes a desire to increase programs at Iowa State that are known as the very best in their field.

The phrase called for a stronger second priority, where the pursuit to obtain nationally renowned programs should come about, even at the expense of the weaknesses of Iowa State.

Johnson said programs at Iowa State that may be weaker shouldn’t necessarily be sacrificed in the aim of emphasizing programs that could become nationally prestigious.

Speaker of the Senate Henry Alliger compared Johnson’s remark to the Department of Residence’s importance to the university.

“We may not have the best Department of Residence in the world, but if we didn’t have it, we wouldn’t be able to function as a university,” Alliger said.

Off-campus senator Ben Albright said sacrifice was necessary, as Iowa State needs to approach this issue as a business, which he said means cutting areas that aren’t as important. Johnson said he agreed sacrifice was necessary, but there needed to be more clarity on what would be sacrificed.

In the original resolution, no specific “weaknesses” were singled out.

An amendment to the resolution taking out the phrase was approved. The amended bill was then passed by unanimous consent by the senate.

In other business:

* A funding bill for the Iowa State Soccer Club passed and a funding bill seeking to provide funding to the Iowa State Mountaineering Club was delayed until next week.

* A senate order calling for approval of the rules and policies changes of the Story County Analysis of Social Services Evaluation Team also passed without objection.