Heated debate ensued throughout much of the Student Association’s senate meeting Sunday night.

The group’s first major issue arose about halfway through the meeting when it voted on a bill to allocate supplemental funding to NIU’s ice hockey club. Robert Martinez of the ice hockey club spoke to the senators about the club’s desperate need for more funding.

Hockey at NIU

The club has been around since the early 1970s, Martinez said. Each of the 26 skaters pays $1,200 in dues each year to support the cost of ice time and transportation. The club’s current budget is $50,000 and they have fallen short by about $15,000. The club asked the SA for $12,000 in supplemental funding.

Lee Blank, a senior political science major and senator from District 3, recommended the club could have enough money if they raised their dues to $2,000. He stated SA bylaws prohibit them from providing funds to any organization that requires dues from their members. This caused outrage among a few senators, as the club had already raised dues greatly over the last couple years.

John Acardo, CAB President and a senator from District 3, said the club only requires dues to play in games and thus, could receive funding.

The SA Finance Committee already had given the bill a full recommendation. Various senators also showed their support for the bill by citing the history of the club, how it aids the university through recruiting and how they represent the university abroad. The measure for supplemental funding passed.

SA against smoking ban

The SA then voted on a resolution to oppose the smoking ban in DeKalb. The senate debated the resolution for nearly an hour. Acardo said the smoking ban would harm DeKalb’s economy and he suggested voting for the resolution. Other senators said detrimental effects of second-hand smoke and the need for healthy social environments were reason enough to vote against it.

Elaine Phillips, a freshman history major and senator from District 2, requested the issue be put on the table until the senators could accurately represent their districts. The motion was defeated as they already had spent too much time debating the issue.

Adam Novotney, a senior management major and senator from District 3, said the senate was not condemning or supporting smoking, but rather voting on the opinion of the student body and that DeKalb should not dictate what a business does. Novotney said if they did not oppose the smoking ban, then prohibition-like laws could follow.

The resolution was passed with a vote of 19-12.

New campus organizations

The SA also approved four new organizations, including the Racquetball Club, which has only one member. New Dimension Christian Dance Ministry, the International Student Organization, which hosted Ethnotopia Friday night, and the Game Developers Association of NIU also were approved.