The AUSA Senate wants to give $8,000 to student organizations in order to compensate the lack of excess funds made available earlier this year.

Daniels College of Business Senator Andrew Petraitis introduced a funding bill that takes money from the AUSA administration account that serves general business by the Senate to student organizations.

“Every spring we estimate the number of students that will enroll at DU,” Petraitis said. “Each student is then charged a student activity fee. We multiply the estimate and the fee to get the amount of money to allocate to student organization budgets.”

If the number of students enrolled exceeds AUSA estimates and there is a surplus, additional allocations can be made. Excess funds are available to any student or organization wishing to seek funding for a program that will benefit the campus.

Applications are available for excess funds at www.du.edu/orgs/senate and are due in Petraitis’s mailbox in the Student Involvement Center at 4p.m. Feb.17.

At the Senate meeting on Feb. 18, applicants must present their programs in person.

The Senate will then consider the requests and allocate fund the following week.

The renovation of Driscoll is an on-going project, said Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Engineering Senator Kristen Weaver. Renovations of the popular Pioneer Place take into account how it relates to an overall plan for Driscoll, Weaver said.

Weaver added, “I believe our first task is to put together a group of students interested in investigating the possibilities of Driscoll Center and what student needs currently are.”

Senior Senator Nic Marcheso encouraged the Senate to take notice of the wine club, The Grave Vine. Paul Berg and Gareth Davis are presidents of the club that meets months and held its last meeting Jan. 23. The club is funded by the Senate and is accessible to any student and is not exclusive to students under 21.

“After enjoying authentic food from South America, we were able to sample six wines for a number of South American countries,” Marcheso said. “Berg spoke for about five minutes on each wine, we then sampled them, and discussed their bodies, their bouquets, the tannins, etc. Prior to tasting the wine Berg discussed the proper way to taste wine since there were a few kids that had never been to a wine tasting.”

Professor Paul Laesecke of the Hotel, Restaurant, and Tourism Management School was present at the meeting, on hand for questions about the wine and food. Twenty members attended the hour-long meeting.

“The Grape Vine meets about once a month,” Marcheso said, “and is will be

tasting Australian wines at their February meeting. Currently it is $5 to join the club and $5 each time you attend the meeting.”

Upon joining, each member is given a book on wine.

“This is to pay for the wine itself,” Marcheso said, “since a licensed-funded student organization can not spend the money allotted to it by the AUSA Senate on alcohol.”

On Campus Senator Chris Sivavajchaipong will have revised the licensing criteria by the end of this quarter.

“Basically, we want to create a definite formula for both fundable and non-fundable status,” said Sivavajchaipong.

The Senate meets Tuesdays at 6 p.m. in Driscoll Center suite 1864.