The Government of the Student Body approved funding for various student organizations for the 1999-2000 school year at a Tuesday night meeting.

Most of the recommendations for funding allocations were approved by the GSB senate. However, the campus publication The Drummer was one of the groups recommended to be sent back to the finance committee for additional review.

Dave Cmelik, managing editor of The Drummer, said the publication had been trying to get a budget increase for a long time.

“We’ve been trying to lobby senators to be sent back for an increase,” said Cmelik, graduate student in business administration. “We basically tried to make a common-sense plea that we be sent back.”

Some senators questioned Cmelik as to why The Drummer did not speak out at the finance committee hearings, which were held in February.

Cmelik said it was because The Drummer was not able to make its case.

“We spent our entire first hearing debating over legal technicalities,” he said.

Marcia Johnson, off campus and GSB finance committee member, said she was offended by Cmelik’s accusations that the group did not have a sufficient chance to speak out at the meeting.

“Before we take a vote on a motion, we always ask the group if they have any questions, especially if it is a group we think doesn’t understand,” Johnson said. “We make every attempt to explain things.”

GSB Vice President Jamal White also said that all parties involved were given ample time to speak.

“I feel that if a senator or member of the gallery thought something was inappropriate, they were more than able to point it out to the chair,” White said.

Cmelik also said The Drummer staff was upset about comments made during the meeting regarding the content of the publication.

Cmelik said it was wrong for the paper’s articles to be an issue at the meeting.

“They also can’t hold us back or make decisions about increases based on content,” he said.

Cmelik said he believes the final decision to not review The Drummer’s budget for a proposed increase was tainted by negative comments.

Wendy Applequist, GSS, said she made comments about The Drummer’s content at the meeting but said the publication’s content does not have anything to do with the committee’s decision.

“I’m not saying that previous content should cause you to lose money,” she said.

Applequist said she is going to argue that The Drummer does not need much of an increase, saying the paper could sell ads or solicit donations.

Johnson said there were some questions as to whether The Drummer actually was meeting its financial obligations.

“One of the requirements is that they are supposed to print eight-page issues, and there were one or two issues that were not eight-page issues,” she said. “That’s kind of where some of the problems came up.”

However, Johnson said at present, the finance committee is satisfied that The Drummer has met its financial obligations.

“Right now, we are not pursuing that any longer,” she said. “However, we are closely looking at all publications to make sure they are meeting all their requirements.”