The Gannett Readership Program will have to wait until next year for its chance to go campuswide.

The Government of Student Body senate voted Wednesday 28-3-1 to adopt an amended version of a bill that would have granted a trial period for the newspaper giant to offer newspapers free to students around campus. The amended version stated that, because of time constraints stemming from the late consideration of Gannett’s offer, the program should be held from a vote until next fall.

The Gannett Readership Program would, for a $5 per semester increase in student fees, provide as many as five newspapers (such as the New York Times and the Des Moines Register) to students on campus.

GSB officials hope issues arising from the program’s proposed adoption will have been dealt with by then.

GSB President Mike Banasiak, who first proposed the program to the senate after being approached by sales representatives from USA Today, said while he had yet to form a personal decision on the program’s validity, he accepted the senate’s findings.

“The senate feels that, in the current time constraints they were given, it would be best to work out some of the issues in the current senate and hopefully the next administration will yield better results,” Banasiak said.

He said Aaron Toye, the USA Today representative who first proposed the program and could not be at Wednesday’s meeting due to bad weather, had promised Banasiak if the resolution was passed, he would work with the new leadership on implementing the program next year.

Despite a nearly unanimous vote, the amended version did not pass without objection. Strong concerns still existed within the senate regarding some of the specific dimensions of the plan.

GSB Graduate Senator Dan Christenson submitted a further amendment to the resolution detailing many of the concerns raised about the program during the last month, such as waste management, uncertain estimates of demand and potential legal troubles stemming from a lawsuit between the Ames Tribune and the Iowa State Daily that might affect distribution of the program’s newspapers.

GSB Liberal Arts and Sciences Senator Andrew Tugan, who said he viewed the resolution as something of a hollow gesture, asked senators to “let the issue die.”

“I just did not see any reason for it,” he said of the amended resolution. “A senate resolution generally doesn’t do anything except state the senate’s opinion. The version of the bill presented last week would have had an effect, but this one won’t do anything.”

Tugan added that the inability of the senate to move forward on the bill pointed to a lack of conviction in the body.

“It’s my feeling that we should have gone with a yes or no last week,” he said. “People weren’t willing to make the hard choices.”

GSB Frederiksen Court Senator Nick Leitheiser denied Tugan’s claims that the resolution’s adoption would be ineffectual, saying that stating the senate’s thoughts on the matter was enough.

“I don’t think it does nothing,” Leitheiser said.

“It voices the opinion of the senate. That’s what a resolution is for. The senate has voiced its opinion that it would like to see the problems with this program worked out and then looked over by a future senate.”

He added that he was greatly in favor of the Readership Program and felt it would provide a benefit for students.