The Graduate and Professional Student Senate overwhelmingly passed the proposed $165,600 budget for fiscal year 2016. 

The new budget represents a $14,100 increase from fiscal year 2015. The extra funds are expected to be available because of the continually rising enrollment. GPSS is largely funded by student fees. The budget allocations run from July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2016. With a projected income of $171,00, the budget proposal does leave officers and the senate some breathing room if unexpected expenses arise.

An extra $3,000 each semester was made available for the Professional Advancement Grant program, along with an extra $4,000 being set aside to fund a proposed graduate student career fair. The budget to fund guest speakers and lecturers was also raised from $1,500 to $2,000 for the year.

“With greater student fee reciepts, we can fund more Professional Advancement Grants, better social events and new line items,” said GPSS Treasurer T.J. Ratikan.

Government of the Student Body presidential hopefuls Dan Breitbarth and Amanda Loomis had an opportunity to briefly lay out their platforms to the GPSS senators. VEISHEA and overcrowding on campus was a hot topic for each candidate. Both advocate bringing some form of VEISHEA back to Iowa State. Breitbarth advocated for a parade, while Lewis suggested moving the event to the fall semester before students are done with Spring Break and midterms and “ready to let loose.”

“We want to bring back the traditions in a new way,” Loomis said. 

Students can vote March 3 and 4, by going to the ISU website.

Clubs and organizations looking to procure funds from GPSS’s regular allocation fund can now receive up to $1,000. If they already received the $800 limit this year, the club is eligible for $200 during the spring semester.

“Overall, we want to promote clubs to generate opportunity for them that wouldn’t otherwise be there,” Rakitan said.

A new executive position whose focus would be working year-round to organize and promote the Graduate and Professional Student Research Conference made it through the first round of voting. For the position to become official, the senate must pass the bill as written again next month with a 75 percent majority, then again next August when the new senate convenes.

“We would like seven [members] instead of six,” said Arko Provo Mukherjee, president of GPSS, last week. “We can extend the budget, or executives could take a pay cut. “

The senate voted unanimously to make Roberta Johnson, director of Financial Aid and GPSS co-adviser. Johnson advocated for students to make use of the new Office of Financial Aid.

“Any student can use our services, even if they don’t have federal loans,” Johnson said. “We offer services to deal with credit card debt and financial planning services.”

The suggestion of capping meetings at a three-hour limit was met with with resistance from Mukherjee.

“I believe what we do here is important. We were charged with spending student fees and we do that by meeting once a month,” he said. “I don’t think it’s too much to ask that we spend a little extra time to fulfill our responsibility.”