Funding amendment sparks GSB debate

Michaela Saunders

The Government of the Student Body senate voted to spend $104,299.58 of ISU student money at its meeting Wednesday night.

Because of its actions, Central Campus will be given more electrical power capability and Parks Library will get seven new printers and the refurbishment of six group study rooms.

At press time, however, about 20 members of Sports Club Council were preparing to put in their two cents. They were concerned about the omission from funding criteria of their ability to request lodging assistance during competitive trips.

Speaker of the senate Tony Luken encouraged senators to consider the students in the gallery in addition to more than 20 who e-mailed him and others about the amendment that would put the ability to request $10 per member per night in lodging assistance back into the funding criteria.

“I even got two letters through the federal mail,” Luken said. “I’ve never had that before for anything. This is about an amendment.”

The provision was excluded because students going on educational trips are not provided the same opportunity to request lodging assistance.

Jeremy Hayes, Off Campus Government senator, said he was concerned about fairness for all students.

“There is a huge disparity for what we fund between educational trips and competitive trips,” he said. “Don’t fund anybody if we don’t fund everybody.”

Relating to fairness on campus, GSB reacted strongly to the acts of vandalism that occurred on campus over the weekend. Both the Student Services Building and Durham Center were spray painted with slurs about homosexuality.

A resolution was unanimously passed in which “GSB unconditionally condemns in the strongest possible terms the vandalism that occurred on Nov. 16-17 designed to intimidate and threaten members of the Iowa State Community.”

More than 20 senators requested their names be added to the resolution. One of those was Vice Speaker, David Leege.

“Hate is intolerable … regardless of what your views are on this issue,” he said. “We’re condemning the hate.”

Randy Larabee, engineer for facilities planning and management, detailed plans for expanding on campus electrical power. Currently, he told them, there is only enough power available to light everything in the Gallery of the Memorial Union, the meeting’s location.

The university has agreed to match the $58,500 GSB will contribute. Construction could begin after Veishea and be completed before fall semester.