Funding campus groups for the spring semester and concerns about changing the academic calendar will be discussed at the Government of the Student Body’s Wednesday meeting.

A bill will be introduced at the meeting by the GSB Finance Committee giving the committee’s recommendation for funding to campus organizations this spring.

One group the committee recommended funding was Cuffs, a campus group that specializes in education about sado-masochism.

The finance committee approved Cuffs’ request for $94 in printing and advertising at its Special Allocations hearing this weekend, but the senate could disagree with the committee’s recommendation.

According to GSB bylaws, the senate has the authority to approve funding to campus organizations.

Some members are questioning whether Cuffs’ request for funding should be met.

Tony Luken, GSB speaker of the senate, said he is skeptical as to whether the group merits funding.

“I’m not sure how I will vote in the issue, but I’m leaning toward ‘no’ because every time the controversy surrounding the group has stopped, so has the group,” he said.

GSB Finance Director David Boike said during the Special Allocations process in the fall of 2000, Cuffs was zero-funded because it had private meetings as well as public meetings. According to GSB bylaws, groups must hold only public meetings in order to be funded. Boike said the group changed to all public meetings in order to receive funding. During Regular Allocations the spring of 2001, the group was given $33, he said. Boike said the group was given money again in 2002, but did not use the money.

According to Daily staff reports, Cuffs dissolved during the 2002—03 academic year because two of the group’s leaders, including its president, did not have time to operate the club.

Cuffs president Harlan “Duane” Long, senior in psychology, was not available for comment.

“I want them to show me and the senate why they should get any funding, because they haven’t demonstrated a consistent service to the campus by being a functional student group,” Luken said. “They need to show [the senate] they can exist without our funding as a student group and then come back to us.”

GSB Off-Campus Senator Drew Miller said he disagrees with Luken, and the group’s troubles should not be a factor in denying funding.

“Cuffs has had some troubles, but a lot of other groups have had some troubles,” Miller said. “[The group should be funded] because they do provide a broad tangible benefit, and they do. They provide a very good benefit to people on this campus who are interested in [bondage, dominance, sadism and masochism] because they are concerned with safety.”

The senate is also scheduled to vote on a resolution, introduced at its meeting last week, that would endorse the current academic calendar and strongly oppose ISU President Gregory Geoffroy’s Academic Calendar Committee’s Calendar B proposal. However, two senators and Director for Student Affairs Nathan Johnson have expressed their intent to table a vote on the resolution until its Nov. 5 meeting, in order for more student opinion to be gathered on the issue.

According to the calendar committee’s Web site, Geoffroy has the definitive say on which calendar the university will implement next year, and has indicated he will consider all comments submitted by the calendar about both proposals.

The committee will submit comments to Geoffroy Nov. 14, and Geoffroy is scheduled to make his decision by Dec. 15, Johnson said.

The Calendar A proposal is the current academic year. The Calendar B proposal recommends winter and summer breaks be extended by one week, a 10-day J-term in January be implemented and classes be lengthened by five minutes to accommodate for the loss of a week each semester for extended semester breaks.

“Students have told me they don’t want to add one hour to two hours a week onto their schedules, and they believe three weeks is long enough for break,” said David Breutzmann, liberal arts and sciences senator.

The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. in the Campanile Room of the Memorial Union.