The proposed funding for the CSUN Model United Nations Club was increased and approved at the Associated Students Senate meeting on Tuesday.

The finance committee proposed that $2,200 be allocated from the Unallocated Reserves Account for the American West MUN Conference that’ll be held Nov. 17-20 in Las Vegas. The funds for the club are to be used for travel expenses to the conference.

The motion made by Sen. Alexander Ross increased the amount allocated to the MUN Club to $3,200.

Ross said since CSUN has no sports teams winning championships, “academics seems to be the next best thing.”

During the open forum portion at the beginning of the meeting, many students and members of the CSUN MUN Club spoke to the A.S. Senate and asked for their support, and many made mention of the importance of the MUN Club to CSUN. They mentioned that the MUN conference would be a good way for CSUN to show that it’s one of the top schools in the nation.

Also during the meeting, proposed funding was increased for the Human Powered Vehicle competition in April 2008.

Proposed funding from the finance committee was $2,800 and approved funding was $3,500.

The action went through two other amendments before being finalized on the $3,500 funding.

Ross didn’t approve of the increase because he said the CSUN American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the group requesting the funds, should place better in competitions before the Senate allows them more funds.

Sen. Samer Habib said that if the group had more funds to build better HPV’s, then they would have a better chance of placing better in competitions. Habib said that other schools in the competitions have budgets of $20,000, compared to the CSUN ASME’s budget of $12,000.

During A.S. President Adam Haverstock’s report, he mentioned today’s CSU Board of Trustees meeting in Long Beach. If approved at the meeting, there could be an increase in Chancellor Charles B. Reed’s annual pay by $45,000 and CSUN President Jolene Koester’s annual pay by $30,000.

Haverstock said he’d be at the meeting to speak against the pay increases for both Reed and Koester.

A.S. General Manager David Crandall said during his report that there’s no new child center, contrary to the information that was published in an article in the Sundial’s Sept. 18 issue.

Habib reported on University Affairs and said that there are talks about a Matador Statue being built. He said they’re discussing what kind of statue it should be. There was no mention of the cost of the statue or where the statue would be located on the campus.

A new member was approved to the Elections Committee during the meeting. LaChristian Taylor is a pre-law transfer from College of the Canyons. Taylor said she hopes to let students know that they have a voice on campus.

The annual budget of $1,700 for the fraternity Phi Delta Epsilon was approved. Of the $1,700, $600 will go toward travel expenses, $600 will go toward the initiation ceremony, $250 will go toward a professional speaker and $250 will be used for other requests.

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