Only two of the 10 student organizations earmarked for zero-funded status by the Government of the Student Body finance committee are still in the running for funding after GSB’s regular allocations meeting Wednesday.

The request by the ISU chapter of the Public Interest Research Group was returned to the finance committee’s consideration with a senate order to find funds for the group. The Entomology Club’s request is also back to finance committee for review.

Of the 10 groups, only four were separated out by the senate for individual consideration: Public Interest Research Group, the Entomology Club, the student chapter of the National Association for Interpretation and Team PrISUm, the ISU solar car team. The senate upheld zero-funding recommendations for the latter two.

The finance committee’s recommendations to zero-fund 3-Minute Dating, Computer-Assisted Language Learning Club, Cyclone Leadership Organization, the International Student Council, the National Pan-Hellenic Council and Students 2 Students were accepted without further consideration.

“[The number of zero-funded groups] is slightly higher than normal because it’s been a tough budget year, but that’s the way it is,” said GSB Speaker of the Senate Tony Luken.

GSB Finance Director David Boike said he was satisfied with the hearing, which ended about 11 p.m.

“It went very well,” he said. “I’m amazed that we got out as early as we did, and I thank the senate for doing their homework.”

The most fierce debate was sparked by the case of the National Association for Interpretation chapter, a group which had been funded for the past year under the assumption it served as a sign-language organization.

The actual purpose of the club is to train students to give informal education programs at nature-related venues. The finance committee ruled that, because of the group’s pre-professional nature and its ties to the National Resource Ecology and Management Department, it did not merit GSB funding.

“It’s too bad, because this is a group that really should get funded,” said GSB Frederiksen Court senator Nick Leitheiser. “But through a clause in the bylaws, we just can’t. It’s something that maybe should be looked at and changed.”

Leitheiser said the nature of the discussion, which resulted in raised voices on both sides and a charge by a club official that the senate’s behavior during the session was “appalling,” was the result of the long session and nature of the business at hand.

“There was a little frustration going on,” he said. “It’s not easy to sit on the senate and tell a group that you’ve been working and sweating for that you’re not going to fund them next year.”

Jason O’Brien, deputy director of the Iowa branch of the National Association of Interpretation, said he was disappointed with the way the senate reached its decision.

“It’s not in line with the way a governing body should act,” he said, adding that he was speaking not as a member of the organization, but as an ISU alumnus. “In any human situation, the agendas of the individuals involved come out, but these students represent the student body, and as an alum, I would hope they’ll be more professional in the future.”

David Breutzman, member of the finance committee, said the group had shown ill favor toward the finance committee since the beginning of the allocation process.

“This is a group that was highly disrespectful to the finance committee,” said Breutzmann, GSB Liberal Arts and Sciences senator. “They swore at us, and told us that basically, because we fund Cuffs, we should fund them. This was a cut-and-dried case of a pre-professional group, and the debate should have been finished in five minutes.”

Among the other groups that were called back for senate consideration, many were returned to the finance committee for further consideration, such as the Alliance for Disability Awareness, Iowa State Men’s Ice Hockey and the Ballroom Dance Club.

The finance committee’s recommendations for Engineers Without Frontiers and Cuffs were upheld.