The Government of Student Body senate debated the best way to spend its last $30 for student organizations Wednesday night after consideration of its regular allocations.

Several student organizations walked away empty-handed and with little knowledge of how they will pay for their activities next academic year.

Members of two zero-funded student organizations said it was confusion over the names of their organizations that lead to the senate’s decision. Senators debated whether the student organizations in question were in line with GSB bylaws and constitution.

Emily Clark, sophomore in agriculture education, was driven to tears when her group, Collegiate FFA, was under consideration by the senate.

“I don’t think they understand the purpose of our organization or exactly what we do,” Clark said after the vote.

The senate was concerned with the difference in National FFA, a high school-based organization, and Collegiate FFA, a campus-based group. Several senators understood the groups to be connected and perceived a difference in rights for members.

Clark said the two groups are not connected, and every member has equal rights.

“I just don’t know what to do to get them to understand the issues,” she said.

ISU Campus Greens members said they thought they were misunderstood, too, when the senate zero-funded their organization.

Numerous senators were concerned about the ISU Campus Greens connection to the national Green Party. They cited similarities in and links to the Web site of the political organization. GSB does not fund organizations affiliated with or endorsing political candidates.

Matt Denner, president of the ISU Campus Greens, told the senate his organization did not endorse or support political candidates, but rather works as an action group responding to member generated issues.

“Does advocacy equal support?” asked David Leege, vice speaker of the senate. “I see this as a gray area that is awfully gray.”

To those concerns, Denner said his organization would be willing to “cut back any activities that make us ineligible for funding.”

Engineering Senator Leia Guccione said she believed “the group is really trying to dance between the letter of the law, just to get funding.”

Then senate agreed and zero-funded the organization.

Denner and Clark said their organizations operated without GSB support this academic year.

They said it will be difficult to recruit members if they have to continue paying for the operation of the groups out of their own pockets.

“Last year was the first time we were zero-funded. We have no funds right now,” Clark said. “We pay for everything out of pocket. Because we’re looking at a second year of zero-funding … we’re doing simple fund raising but the executive team pays for everything out of pocket.”

A total of 139 student organizations requested funding from GSB student fees allocations. Four organization proposals were sent back to the finance committee for consideration and 10 were zero-funded.