The Illinois Student Senate is requesting more than $800 from its financial committee to send an observer to two off-campus University Senates Conference meetings.

The University Senates Conference, which is made up of the faculty senates from all three University of Illinois campuses, acts as an advisory body to the board of trustees. At the Wednesday student senate meeting, senators voted 20-2 in favor of appointing a permanent senator observer to attend monthly senates conference meetings.

“I’m very happy the student senate recognizes the importance of sending students to the University Senates Conference to act as our eyes and ears to the shared governance process,” said senator Jim Maskeri, senior in LAS and sponsor of the resolution.

The committee on financial affairs originally allocated $160 for travel and hotel costs for the Feb. 19 meeting at the University of Illinois-Chicago.

“To say that someone is staying somewhere close to UIC for $100 is unrealistic,” said senator Damani Bolden, junior in ACES. “Being from Chicago, I know that number is very unrealistic.”

During discussion Wednesday, Maskeri amended the resolution to also allocate money for the senates conference meeting in April at the Springfield campus. At that meeting, the allocation was talked up to $842 because of many senators’ fears that $160 was not enough.

“If we’re going to do something, let’s do it right; let’s do it with some class,” said Bolden, who was a main proponent of upping the allocation.

Despite majority approval of the funding request, some senators were still unhappy with the final number.

“Let me tell you, it does not cost more than $1,000 to spend a weekend in Chicago,” said Matt Gold, senator and senior in LAS.

Senator Max Ellithorpe, graduate student, agreed with Gold.

“This is why we have failed our constituents,” Ellithorpe said. “This is government at its finest, and I think this is ridiculous that we’re discussing lavish expenses.”

Kevin Seymour, chair of the committee on financial affairs and graduate student, finally commented that the appropriations had “gotten completely out of control” and advised senators to send the resolution back to the committee for review as it was.

Maskeri said Friday that the final appropriation had been sent back to the committee after the meeting.

Inspired by the concept of a University Senates Conference, Maskeri said he is also working on passing legislation that would establish a University Student Governments Conference, allowing student governments from all three University of Illinois campuses to convene regularly and discuss University-wide issues.

The proposal was originally on the agenda for Wednesday’s meeting but was pulled for further review before being discussed.

Maskeri said he asked Nicholas Burbules, chairman of the University Senates Conference; Matthew Wheeler, chairman of the Senate Executive Committee; and Joyce Tolliver, vice chairwoman of the Senate Executive Committee, to look over the proposal. He said he wants to incorporate their feedback into a final draft.

“We’ll be able to really make sure that our voices are heard at that (University) level, and we’re participating in the policy-making discussion that is occurring with University administration,” Maskeri said.

Tyler can be reached at [email protected].