An unexpected debate arose in the Government of the Student Body meeting Wednesday night concerning funding for the Iowa State student-run radio station KURE.

Executive members of the Inter-Residence Hall Association attended the meeting to discuss an agreement formed last year between GSB and IRHA regarding funding for the station.

Under the terms of the agreement, IRHA would fund 60 percent of the operating costs of the radio station, and GSB would fund 40 percent of the operating costs, effective until 2000. GSB also would fund all of the capital costs, according to the agreement.

However, IRHA members expressed concerns about the radio station and discussed the possibility of IRHA pulling out of the agreement and discontinuing its funding.

The IRHA members in attendance included Eric Anderson, president of the Towers Residence Association; Matt Craft, president of Richardson Court Association; Scott Meyers, president of the Union Drive Association; and Ben Chamberlain, president of IRHA.

Anderson, who was designated the spokesperson for IRHA, said there were several reasons behind IRHA’s sudden concern. One of the reasons was the question of how KURE was really benefiting IRHA’s constituents.

“People in the residence halls pay four times the amount that others pay for KURE,” he said. “But KURE isn’t doing anything special for the residence halls that they’re not doing for anyone else.”

Anderson also said IRHA did not feel that last year’s parliament members reviewed the agreement as thoroughly as they could have.

“I voted for it last year, but last year we didn’t really examine the reasons why we were funding KURE. It was kind of like GSB had decided to do this and our president really wanted this, so we kind of had to pass it, too,” he said. “A lot of us were new at the time and we didn’t know what should be done.”

Jay McLaren, last year’s IRHA president and former GSB senator, said IRHA did have chances to review the agreement.

“They could have addressed it last year,” he said.

McLaren also said he did not think it was right for IRHA to reject an agreement that already was made.

“Last year, when the agreement passed, I didn’t receive a great number of questions about the deal. It didn’t seem like they had a problem with the agreement,” he said.

Mike Pogge, LAS, who served as the North Friley Hall representative for IRHA last year and served on the internal affairs committee, expressed frustration at a potential breach of contract by IRHA.

“We’ve had various conversations within the finance committee, and one thing that comes up every time is that when contracts aren’t followed, it’s always GSB following it while the other organization backs out,” he said.

Pogge said if IRHA decides not to fund KURE, GSB probably will be unable to bear the burden of funding KURE alone.

“We have 61 groups applying for funding this year — seven more groups than there were last year. Everyone else wants an increase, but GSB is not going to get an increase,” he said. “The other clubs and organizations are probably going to take a hit.”

Pogge also expressed frustration with IRHA’s timing.

“We are already in the funding process. If IRHA wanted to renegotiate, they should have come to us months ago,” he said. “KURE itself has to submit its budget by Monday. We are in a position where we are going to need to know what’s going on soon.”

Anderson said IRHA understood why GSB is upset, and pulling out of the agreement would be a last resort for IRHA.

“The last thing we want is to kill KURE — it has a lot of tradition at ISU,” he said. “But unless we can get our dollars to work for us, it’s not worth our while to spend a quarter of our budget on tradition.”