Aaron Vehling

After some confusion and limited debate, Student Senate approved of $2,250 in special allocations at its Monday evening meeting.

Of that, $2,000 went to UW-Eau Claire’s Wind Symphony to help fund its upcoming trip to the Illinois State Music Convention.

Although the symphony already receives funding for the school year, its appearance at the convention is a special event not normally factored into the budget.

This allocation is meant to cover the cost of bus fare and hotel stay. The symphony originally asked the Senate Finance Commission to approve $2,800.

Treasurer Chad Wade said Senate is not completely covering the cost, and the more than 50 students in the symphony will have to cover some of the expenses with their own money.

The student government also approved $250 in a special allocation to itself for the purchase of a digital camera intended for public relations. The bill, authored by public relations director Kaysie Olson, originally asked for $125.

After some confusion, members amended the allocation to include components such as memory cards and rechargeable batteries.

Off-campus Senator Matt Flaten pushed for the increase because of the hidden costs beyond the camera itself.

But there was some concern about the cost getting too high.

Wade argued that it should be kept at the $125 level, and Senate should worry about buying components later.

Senate guidelines state that any special allocation of more than $100 must receive support from the organization. Anything less than that, such as $50 for a memory card, can be approved by the executive board.

Olson supported the $250 level of funding, “so we don’t have to go piece by piece every week to the executive board.”

She also tried to dispel concerns by noting that the language of the bill calls for an amount that won’t exceed $250. It doesn’t mean she will spend that much, she said.