The floor of the Memorial Union Recreation Center soon will have a fresh face thanks to a $6,800 allocation from the Government of the Student Body.

GSB senators passed a bill 29-3 Wednesday night to help purchase and install 4,000 square feet of Armstrong Vinyl Composition Tile for the newly remodeled recreation center in the basement of the Memorial Union. There were two abstentions.

The carpeting currently on the floor of the MU Recreation Center has become worn and unattractive after years of wear and tear, said Roger Ferris, associate director of operations for the Memorial Union. The existing carpeting was installed in 1993.

Vinyl tiling will weather at least 20 years of student traffic, while carpeting usually lasts only about five years, he said.

“The tiling is really going to give the center a more coordinated look,” Ferris said. “We’re trying to make it more energetic and fun-looking.”

The tiling will most likely be done in primary colors, including ISU cardinal and gold, he said. The walls of the recreation center may be covered with carpeting to complete the appearance and to absorb sound, Ferris said.

Several GSB senators were reluctant to pass a bill that they said would drastically alter the atmosphere of the recreation center.

“I don’t think it will look as nice, personally,” said Ben Albright, agriculture. “They’re going to pay to put up carpet on the wall? Why don’t we just put it on the floor, then?”

The majority of senators said vinyl tiling will provides more long-term benefits than carpeting.

Joe Darr, off campus, said carpeting would cost between $7,000 to $10,000.

“[Tiling] is more economically feasible,” he said.

The tiling will be more attractive than carpeting and will set off the ISU atmosphere in the Memorial Union, Ferris said. He is currently looking into offers to mold a Cy logo within the new tiling.

With the help of last night’s funding bill passed by GSB, the floor of the Recreation Center may get a face lift before the end of the semester.

“We want to get this project done over spring break,” Ferris said.