Student Government senators approved the 2006-2007 budget during a Sunday special session after more than a week of debate about food and BlackBerry electronic devices.
The budget bill, which SG President Chris Odinet supported, specifies that no funds allotted in the budget can be used to fund BlackBerries or to purchase food at private SG events.
Graduate School Sen. Donald Hodge, Arts and Sciences Sen. Heath Hattaway and several other senators authored the budget bill which passed with only one dissenting vote.
The bill also solved the SG constitutional issue that forced the special session and eliminated Odinet’s programming budget, which funds departments such as academics, finance and student services, which were to be funded from an SG initiatives account.
To compensate for the inability to take funds from the initiatives account, bill authors pulled funds from the presidential, vice presidential and Senate contingencies.
“This is overwhelming supported,” Hattaway said. “All of the concerns addressed in this budget were brought up at the Senate meeting last week.”
Although Odinet did not draft the final budget proposal, he spoke to the Senate and endorsed the bill.
“The executive office completely supports [the budget],” Odinet said. “This is fair and equitable.”
Agriculture Sen. Colorado Robertson was the only senator to vote against the budget. Robertson attempted to debate the bill, but senators voted to block his speaking effort.
“I felt they just wanted to get out of [the meeting],” Robertson said.
Robertson said he disagreed with the decision to reduce college councils’ funding, which provides programming for individual colleges. In the new budget, council funding was reduced from 15 percent to 10 percent.
Robertson said additional college council funding would be beneficial because funds are easier to access through the College Council Appropriations Committee rather than the Senate’s general contingency fund.
Robertson said he hopes that Odinet will work with college councils to find more funding.
“The president made a promise that additional funding will be available,” Robertson said.
Before the budget passed, Arts and Sciences Sen. Patrick Esfeller spoke to the Senate and requested an investigation into the $1,243 funding for food at two Senate meetings.
Esfeller said SG Vice President Christen Heaton’s speech on Wednesday about the purchase inspired him to conduct further research.
The food was paid for with the speaker of the Senate’s $1,000 contingency. Esfeller questioned how the additional $243 funding was approved.
“I question, as should each of you here tonight, the validity of these purchases,” Esfeller said to members of the Senate.
Heaton said she supported Esfeller’s inquiry and appreciated his willingness to speak about the situation.
“Student Government needs to have better representation about all of the great policies and procedures that we do have,” Heaton said. “This investigation is important so we can decide what the true motive was.”
Hodge, Committee on Finance chair, said he will pose questions to all individuals involved in the transaction.
“Once we gather all the facts, we will compile the report,” Hodge said.
 
Contact Amy Brittain at [email protected]