The Government of the Student Body ruled a bill allocating $12,000 to student organizations out of order Wednesday night because it provided funding for a religious group.

This technicality may prevent 23 Iowa State organizations from receiving fall funding.

Jeremy Williams, director of finance, said the finance committee will not reconvene.

The bill, which contained finance committee recommendations for 23 campus organizations, was ruled out of order because it allocated $407.20 to the Campus Crusade for Christ organization.

Mike Pogge, LAS, moved to have the bill ruled out of order on the grounds that it funded an organization with religious affiliation.

“I felt that it was inappropriate,” he said. “We need to look at the issue some more. The finance committee needs to look at the issue more closely, this bill was out of order.”

GSB by-laws state organizations funded by GSB may be “neither affiliated with, nor dedicated to a particular religion or religious point of view or otherwise violating the anti-establishment clause of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution as it pertains to the use of state funds.”

Finance committee members said they were aware of the clause in the by-laws and had researched the request for Campus Crusade for Christ before making the recommendation.

Joseph Brus, off-campus, said Campus Crusade met with an individual finance adviser from GSB to discuss its request.

“The adviser allows them to understand more about the process [of requesting funds],” Brus said. “It’s a preliminary meeting so groups aren’t coming in asking for things that we just don’t fund.”

Rob Wiese, GSB president, said Campus Crusade could be funded, citing U.S. Supreme Court case Rosenberger vs. Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia.

This case stated public schools “must recognize but need not fund” groups with religious affiliation.

Bryan Burkhardt, engineering senator and finance committee member, said the money Campus Crusade requested was going toward a leadership conference the group wanted to attend.

“I feel that student fees can be used to provide leadership opportunities to people and to educate people on leadership ideals and objectives,” Burkhardt said.

He also said the money would not be going to specific religious activities of the group.

“We did not agree to fund items or events that had anything to do directly with a religious affiliation,” Burkhardt said.

Williams said by ruling the bill out of order, the $12,000 may not be able to be allocated to any of the groups.

“Even if I called back all the groups, we’d probably come up with the same decision [to fund Campus Crusade] and that bill has already been ruled out of order,” he said.

Williams said the finance committee spent many hours in hearings with each of the groups who applied for funding through fall specials.

Williams told the senate that changes on the allocations bill should have been made in the finance committee instead of ruling the bill out of order.

“If you disagreed with it, you could have very easily sent it back to us,” he said.

Burkhardt said he was frustrated by the lack of discussion before the bill was ruled out of order.

“It makes me very upset that someone cannot simply ask me questions but has to act so erratically as to rule it out of order without finding out all the information,” Burkhardt said. “None of this would have happened if one simple question would have been asked.”

Justin Hattan, LAS senator and finance committee member, said GSB had let down its constituents by killing the funding.

“I realize as senators that we have obligations to our by-laws and constitution, but in my mind we have a far greater responsibility to the students,” he said.

Pogge defended his motion by citing GSB by-laws.

“Our by-laws are very clear on the matter [of funding religiously affiliated groups] and have made a decision not to fund,” Pogge said. “The Supreme Court did not say that you can’t have a rule saying you cannot fund.”

Members of GSB said they are not sure where they will go from here.

Pogge said he would consider other alternatives if the Senate votes the bill in order at the next meeting.

“If the bill is then voted in order by the senate [by a two-thirds majority], I will then move to have the Campus Crusade for Christ zero funded because it violates GSB by-laws,” Pogge said.

“I am confident that the groups that follow the rules and deserve funding will receive it,” Pogge said.

In other GSB news, there will be an open forum to discuss Veishea 1998 in the Pioneer Room of the Memorial Union from 3 to 5 p.m. today.