In a room charged with emotional debate on both sides of the issue, Student Senate voted down a resolution condemning military action against Iraq at its Monday meeting.

The proposed resolution, submitted by senators Rachel Boaz, Sandra Boone, Lisa Huftel and Ryan Reid, was prompted by a petition that circulated for about the past month.

The UW-Eau Claire Progressive Student Association and the campus chapter of Amnesty International organized the petition, collecting an estimated 900 to 1,000 signatures opposing war on Iraq, sophomore senator Liam Robinson said.

Freshman Matthew White, a member of both organizing groups, said he thought the point of the resolution wasn’t adequately addressed during the hour or so Senate spent debating the resolution.

“(Senate) didn’t address the spirit of the resolution,” he said. “Instead, (it) attacked things that were beside the point.”

During the debate, many senators voiced concerns that the wording of the resolution and the original petition were out-of-date. Since the petition circulated before the United States began military action against Iraq last week, its language referred to preventing action against Iraq. In addition, the resolution itself was written before military action began.

Senator Nate Titus, a junior, said he opposed the resolution on the grounds that neither it nor its timing was accurate.

Senate made the right choice on voting down the resolution, regardless of anyone’s personal opinions on the war, he said.

During debate on the resolution, several senators expressed similar opinions. Many said they personally opposed war, but could not support a resolution that was out-of-date. In addition, many raised concerns that passing such a resolution at this time would send the wrong message to the troops who already have been deployed and are fighting.

“This is all about timing,” sophomore senator Eric Ristau said at the meeting. “Our timing on this is horrible in my opinion.”