In a 20-1 vote, the AUSA Senate financially punished the Forensics Club last week after the club spent money without having satisfied Senate by-law membership requirements.

The Senate requires that for every 10 members of an undergraduate student organization there can only be one graduate student member.

The Senate revoked $1,676 made accessible to the club and $373 spent by the club. The Senate believed the club lacked the required 10-1 ratio.

The club, which was licensed by the Senate last spring, came before the Senate last week to defend itself.

Darren Hicks, adviser to the club, said the club had nine members within the 24 hours the $373 were spent. Three members, including a graduate student quit last week.

“They were members as far as we knew until tonight,” Hicks said. “We have six active members, not counting three members who dropped.”

He asked the Senate “not to punish us after the fact” of spending and requested leniency. The club said it would hold a membership drive.

Daniels College of Business Senator Andrew Petraitis said that in the Finance Committee meeting, prior to the Senate meeting, he was told the club had six members. He said that one of the three members that had dropped out had been out of DU in July.

On-Campus Senator Josh Johnson supported Hicks’ request for leniency.

“We should give them a week to re-establish,” Johnson said.

The club can reapply for the funds.

“What would be best is to take away the funds now and in a week they can reapply to [the Board of Contingency] and ask for the money back when they are not in violation,” sophomore Senator Megan Gonzalez said.