DeKALB | The Student Association is giving $10,500 to the Philippine Student Association to help fund the Midwest Association of Filipino Americans Conference.

NIU was selected to host the MAFA Conference next year. The opportunity to host the conference will aid NIU and the DeKalb community, said Nikko Belano, one of the organizers for the conference. He said it would not only promote the university as a whole, but will also bring a lot of business to DeKalb.

Belano said most people associate Filipino students with Chicago schools, and not NIU. The conference will attract Filipino Americans from across the Midwest, and will feature workshops to help educate students about Filipino culture. About 500 students from more than 15 colleges throughout the Midwest will be coming for this conference, he said.

This year, the SA has $200,000 in general reserve, said Robert Batey, SA speaker. He said $100,000 is usually kept until the end of the semester as an emergency fund. The PSA was given $10,500 to fund the conference, though they originally asked for $20,000.

Allan Pineda Lindo, perhaps better known as Apl.de.Ap from The Black Eyed Peas, is scheduled to attend the conference. It will take place from March 2 to 4 next year.

Two senators were also appointed Sunday night.

Steven Le, a junior business major, was first on the agenda. He said his previous experience in the military and as president of the Asian Student Alliance at the College of Lake County prepared him for an SA position.

Everyone who goes up for appointment in the SA must attend one full meeting beforehand. Josh Alvarado, a senator from District 1, said Le’s attendance at his meeting was representative of how he would serve on the senate. Le said he would be able to adjust his work schedule to fulfill his senatorial duties.

Quentin Frison, a senator from District 4, said the senate should vote for Le because there “are obviously people in the back rows here in support of him.”

After some laughter from the senate audience, Alvarado said most of the students in the back row were there to support the PSA funding bill.

James Stetson was also appointed. He said his main goals are to expand the hours at the Campus Recreation Center and Founders Memorial Library. He said he would like to serve on the transportation committee, saying the idea of a bus tracking system was “neat-o.”