The process for the annual Government of the Student Body allocations was set in motion Thursday night with the first informational meeting for GSB-funded student organizations.

“The meeting is basically a preliminary meeting, the first step in getting funding from GSB,” said Christian Edmiston, vice chairman of the finance committee. “The groups send representatives to fill out a budget packet, and we explain the process and the dates of the hearings.”

GSB is responsible for allocating money, which is generated from student fees, to fund organizations on campus, said Jeremy Williams, GSB finance director.

“This is the big thing GSB does each year that affects a lot of students,” Williams said. “We get more requests every year.”

Last year, more than $1.23 million was allocated to student organizations on campus. This year, about $1.25 million will be available for allocation, Williams said.

“We always have more requested than we give,” he said. “We can’t be over-budget. We have to be on-budget or below, and it is hard to determine where reductions have to go.”

After the preliminary meeting, each group seeking GSB funding will be assigned a finance adviser to assist the group in organizing its budget, Edmiston said. “They meet with the group and look over their budget to make sure everything is within the funding criteria,” he said.

Three weekends in February are reserved for the hearings, during which representatives of the student groups present the final budget.

“The groups explain the budget to the Finance Committee, then we go through and tell them what we can and cannot afford,” Williams said. “We try to make the hearings very relaxed and easy-going.”

Because funds are limited, items often must be cut from budgets to ensure all groups receive adequate funding.

“A lot of groups come to the hearing with their budget, expecting to get what they asked for,” Williams said. “They have to realize [the budget] is a request. There are certain things we can’t afford or can’t pay for.”

Although most student organizations are eligible to receive GSB funding, there are detailed funding criteria the committee uses as guidelines when considering funding requests.

The funding criteria for the 2000-2001 allocations were introduced at this week’s senate meeting and will be discussed at next Wednesday’s meeting.

The aim, Williams said, is to fund organizations that potentially could serve any ISU student.

“We can’t fund pre-professional organizations with only members of a certain major or department,” Williams said. “Also, we can’t fund any group with political affiliation or orientation. GSB-funded groups can’t endorse any political candidate or be involved with political parties.”

Although the hearings seem to be the final hurdle for the organizations that go through the allocation process, the amount allocated at the end of the hearing is still subject to change, Williams said.

If the committee allocates more money than is available, members must balance the budget, which entails recalling certain groups and cutting the funding projected at the hearing. Although this has occurred in past years, the new funding criteria, which have yet to be approved by the senate, have been revised to dodge this possibility.

Once the budget is balanced, the senate must approve the allocations submitted by the Finance Committee. Although the senate cannot change the amounts the groups receive, it can send them back to the Finance Committee with recommendations.

An informational meeting is mandatory for any organization seeking GSB funding. Any group that missed Thursday night’s meeting may attend the make-up meeting, which will be held Jan. 18, in Room 74 of Carver Hall.