Wednesday’s Government of the Student Body meeting stalled when one senator suggested only students be allowed to use the campus escort service.

The GSB Senate passed a DPS/GSB Funding Agreement bill, 32-1, that gave the Senate and Iowa State’s Department of Public Safety the power to enhance safety services on campus.

Sen. Stein Avloes offered a failed amendment to the bill that would not allow faculty to use the escort service.

“The faculty have privileges on this campus; you [the students] don’t,” he said. “I don’t think it’s right to give the university money for something they should be paying for.” Avloes was the only senator to vote against the bill.

“How can you put a price on somebody’s safety?” Sen. Alan Beck asked.

GSB Finance Director Steve Elliot reiterated Beck’s message, saying people shouldn’t discriminate against students, faculty and staff.

“We’re talking about safety on campus,” Elliot said. “Why have an agreement and say the staff can’t use it? The staff may not use it, but that doesn’t mean we should discriminate. You can’t differentiate between faculty, staff and students. Why discriminate the right to safety?”

Loras Jaeger, director of DPS, said $25,000 will be contributed from DPS to help fund the escort service. GSB will contribute $4,000.

“We’re trying to make the issue of escorting as easy as we possibly can,” Jaegar said. “When the weather is decent, we will use a golf cart to transport people across campus and to give a better feeling of ease around campus, especially at night.”

There are currently two golf carts issued to the escort service, one purchased by GSB and one purchased by DPS. The escort service runs from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.

In cold weather, DPS will use a help van and a jeep for emergency signals, Jaegar said.

“We want to make it as successful as possible. I applaud GSB in their efforts to cooperate with us and reach out to the university,” he said. “Any successful university must have certain things in place to make students feel at ease.”

These things, Jaegar said, include adequate lighting, public automatic phones and and an escort service. Students and staff can reach the escort service by calling 294-4444.