The Government of the Student Body will vote Wednesday night on a senate bill to allocate $1.54 million of student activity fee money to student organizations at Iowa State.

“This is a very unique meeting for GSB,” said Steve Medanic, GSB finance director. “We don’t normally have 200 people in attendance at a meeting.”

More than 150 student groups at Iowa State went through the GSB regular allocations process this year, Medanic said. Each group usually sends at least one representative to the meeting.

To accommodate the unusually large crowd, Wednesday night’s GSB meeting will be held in the Great Hall of the Memorial Union.

Currently, four organizations have been designated as zero-funded organizations by the GSB finance committee, including Collegiate Future Farmers of America, Kompelling Kontangous IO, the ISU Veterinarian and the LEAD Team.

Medanic said the most common reason a group is denied funding is because the organization is directly tied to a pre-professional or academic department.

“At least three of the organizations that were designated zero funding this year were denied for this reason,” Medanic said.

According to the 2001-2002 Handbook for GSB Funded Student Organizations, a student organization may not be eligible for funding if:

The organization endorses a political candidate or political party.

The organization is sponsored by an academic department or college.

The organization serves primarily to assist classroom instruction or to train students for a specific career or graduate program.

The organization is not open to all fee-paying students and their card-holding spouse members.

The organization has ties to a specific church.

Medanic said he expects the allocations to go smoothly. “I don’t anticipate any real knock-down, drag-out fights,” he said. “But there’s always a few problems that do come up.”

Medanic said he anticipates five to 10 of the budgets out of the 150 student organizations will be questioned by the senate and separated from the original bill. These questionable budgets may be sent back for review to the Finance Committee and voted on as separate bills.

There are sometimes “heated debates” about student organizations senators may have moral objections to, Medanic said. One organization that often stirs controversy on the senate floor is Cuffs, a group specializing in the education of people about the sado-masochistic lifestyle.

“They are a controversial group and they always have been,” said Melissa Brunia, treasurer for the GSB finance committee. “It should be interesting.”

Brunia said a senator may choose to separate Cuffs from the original bill for additional discussion.

“[Cuffs] fits with all our recommendations and finance criteria,” Brunia said. “They’re eligible, and we’ve viewed them as eligible in the past.”

The GSB Finance Committee recommended Cuffs receive $1,587.15 for the 2002-2003 fiscal year.

The ISU Veterinarian, which has received GSB funding in the past, is another organization that may be controversial, though for different reasons.

The journal, which is one of the oldest student publications on campus, was recommended to receive zero funding because it is directly tied to the College of Veterinary Medicine, Brunia said.

“This year the finance committee looked at it and thought it was pretty much focused on only one area,” Brunia said.

The five organizations receiving the most funding from GSB include Student Legal Services at $188,568.82, the Ames Social Services Evaluation Team (ASSET) at $165,000, the Committee on Lectures at $117,349.98, the Sports Club Council at $113,501.15, and the Iowa State Daily at $95,000.

The Government of the Student Body will meet Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the Great Hall of the Memorial Union. The following issues will be discussed:

General Orders

A senate bill outlining the funds to be allocated to more than 100 student organizations at Iowa State. By Kothenbeutel, Leege and others.

A senate bill to remove off-campus senator Luke Howell after his absence in five consecutive senate meetings. By Luken, Marvin and others.

A senate resolution to endorse the proposal for a university policy on Dead Week.

New Business

A senate bill to allocate $15,984.40 to Cy46 from the special projects account to purchase equipment and supplies. By Leege, Walling and others.

A senate bill to allocate $2555.26 to the Lacrosse Team from the Senate Discretionary Account. By Kothenbeutel and Luken.

A senate bill to allocate $600 to the Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance from the Senate Discretionary Account. By Tinder and Kothenbeutel.

A senate bill to endorse a policy that no hats are to be worn by senators at GSB meetings, with the exception of all articles recognized by various religions. By Tosaka.

A senate bill to ratify a funding contract with the Ames Social Services Evaluation Team (ASSET). By Kothenbeutel, Luken and others.