After months of debate, the Government of the Student Body will decide the fate of CyRide’s Brown Route, the bus that runs from the Towers Residence Association to the Iowa State campus.

Budget cuts within the Department of Residence have prompted the discussion about whether GSB should approve student fees out of the GSB-CyRide contingency fund to supplement cuts to the Brown Route.

The bus will run from TRA to campus every 40 minutes, unless GSB approves a bill to continue running every 20 minutes this year using CyRide’s contingency fund, made up of student fee money.

GSB President Matt Craft said he supports the bill, and he strongly encourages GSB senators to vote for it Wednesday evening, even though there’s been talk of tabling it.

Craft said there is a “50-50 percent chance” that the bill will pass.

“Originally, I thought that it didn’t have much of a chance, but it depends on what type of student input that [senators] receive,” he said.

Last week’s meeting was more of a question-and-answer session, while this week’s meeting should be “a lot more opinion-based,” Craft said.

CyRide director Bob Bourne and a representative from the Department of Residence also are expected to make a presentation from the meeting.

“The main thing that I’m concerned about is that the senators separate any ill will they have towards the Department of Residence, that they would separate it from this issue,” he said.

Alex Olson, off campus council, said the Department of Residence could have done more to prevent the Brown Route’s current situation.

“I probably will vote yes, but I have some reservations of how we came to this point,” he said.

Jonathon Weaver, TRA, penned the bill along with Lee Kaiser, engineering. He said it is crucial that this bill be passed.

“As the Towers senator, I really feel that the academic well-being of the residents hangs in the balance,” he said.

Weaver noted that if it is raining or snowing or if Towers residents miss the bus, they often might skip class instead of walking almost a mile to campus.

Craft said a point of concern about the bill is that the money it would involve — about $12,000 — is too much to give to TRA residents.

“There’s been a little bit of concern about having this much money given to such a small group of constituents, but sooner or later, people from the greek community will need something,” he said.

“It will all balance out in the end,” Craft said.

There has been a lot of feedback about the bill, Craft said, ranking it with other highly debated issues such as Veishea.

“It’s going to be really close,” he said.

“It will be the amount of e-mails from students that’s probably going to determine it,” Craft said.

Weaver is optimistic that the bill will pass.

“There will be a lot of debate, but in the end, I see this bill as being successful,” he said.

The meeting will be held tonight at 7 in the Campanile Room of the Memorial Union and is open to the public.