Amongst other hotly contested issues at the Illinois Student Senate meeting Wednesday night, two resolutions involving a proposed increase sales tax and the choice of which Student Trustee would have the binding vote on the University of Illinois Board of Trustees, were approved.

The senate voted to formally oppose a referendum, which will appear on the Nov. 4 ballot, proposing a one percent increase on the sales tax in Champaign County.

Student senator Justin Umlah raised a question of whether the bylaws of the senate allowed for it to make suggestions to the student body on the issue. The regulation in question was determined not to apply to the sales tax.

The members of the student senate decided that the increased sales tax would be a burden on members of the student body if it was enacted, and voted overwhelmingly to pass the resolution that opposing the increase.

Additionally, the senate passed a resolution asking Gov. Rod Blagojevich to decide which University of Illinois student trustee would receive the binding vote on the University Board of Trustees. Up to now the governor has not made this appointment, and that seat on the Board sits empty.

The third item up for action was a resolution to support the inclusion of Women’s and LGBT programming in the current Cultural Programming fee on the Nov. 4 ballot. Discussion on the issue lasted roughly an hour, and the senate lost its quorum before voting took place.