The Inter-Residence Hall Association passed a bill supporting the proposed room rate and meal plan changes suggested by the Department of Residence.

The bill was written to show support of the new plan to the Board of Regents. The proposed changes will be presented to the Regents when they meet in Ames in mid-March.

The proposed room rate and meal plan changes are not a law yet, because the Regents have to approve the changes. If the Board of Regents dislikes the proposed changes, it can turn them down, said John Shertzer, IRHA advisor.

With the economy being in its current situation, the Regents will look at all the finances carefully, he said.

Colleen Prosser, Towers Residence Association treasurer, said “It was classy of [Randy Alexander and Jon Lewis] to go through and make changes.”

The visitation bill was passed with a 14-1-3 vote. The bill states IRHA does not support the proposed changes to the visitation policy for Fresh Start dorms. The new policy calls for visitors of the opposite sex to be allowed in rooms from 9 a.m. to 1 a.m. Sunday to Thursday and 9 a.m. to 3 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.

The policy, as it is currently interpreted by the majority of students, is that opposite sex visitors are allowed in rooms all night, as long as they are not sleeping, said Dave Breutzman, TRA president.

Jennifer Erwin, Union Drive Association president, said she believes studying should be allowed at any time and the new bill proposed by the DOR prohibits group studying after 1 p.m. The current bill has the “added bonus of not killing study groups,” Erwin said.

IRHA also passed a bill calling for money to be allocated toward the Global Leadership Seminar. Seven hundred dollars will be given to support the Global Leadership Seminar, where Marc Kielburger, a motivational speaker, will speak. The seminar, which IRHA will now be sponsoring, will be responsible for training students in how to train other students to be leaders.

Shertzer also told IRHA members about a change in telephones in residence halls.

As of next fall, phones will no longer be provided in residence halls, he said.

Students in the residence halls will now have to provide their own phones. He was informed of this change Thursday afternoon by Randy Alexander, director of the Department of Residence and Ginny Arthur, associate director of residence for the department.

Several IRHA members supported the idea. It is “not set in stone yet,” Shertzer said.