The Organization of Latin American Students came out in force to ask the Student Association for a 97 percent increase in its budget Sunday night.

OLAS‘ budget, which had been tabled at last Sunday’s SA meeting, came back up this week and was approved after over 40 minutes of debate.

The SA’s finance rules give a guideline of five percent for budget increases each year. However, in OLAS’ defense, OLAS member Elizabeth Jauez said, “A five percent increase may cover inflation but not our membership increase.” Over 850 NIU students are Latino and that number is said to increase 10 percent each year.

Senate Speaker Nelson Perez said the budgeting process might not sufficiently cover increases in the organizations’ population.

The original amount asked for by OLAS was approved, but the budget was rearranged. In their first budget OLAS had asked for funding to send 20 members to a leadership conference. In the final approved budget, the SA allocated funding for four students to attend the conference and put the rest of the allocated money in an honorarium.

In other news, student Regent John Butler announced the Center for Black Studies’ proposal was pulled from the agenda of an upcoming Board of Regents teleconference and will not be brought up until the March 18 Regents meeting.

Butler said this only will delay the bidding process and not the completion of the project. He said this would allow more input from regents other than the three executives who would have been allowed on the teleconference.

In other business, a proposal by Senators Jennifer Manning and Derek Anderson to oppose the Task Force of Higher Education’s proposal to replace the Regents and Board of Governors with seven separate university governing boards was tabled until next week’s meeting.

Butler said the proposal is a proactive effort to make the SA’s statement heard. One concern raised was that the seven new boards might not include student representatives as the Regents does.

Also, SA Vice President Anastasia Criscione announced that all petitions for candidates running for executive positions in the SA are due March 3. Elections are to be held March 30 and 31.

Also, 6th Ward Ald. candidate Brad Strauss spoke to the SA in hopes of gaining the senate’s support. “If I’m elected I’ll be your voice, the student’s voice,” Strauss said. The other two candidates could not be present to address the SA.

In other business, NIU student Scott Smessaert was approved as a senator. Eight senatorial seats are still open.