A three-year-old University Board loan will be forgiven by the Apportionment Board.

The Student Senate voted 22-3 to approve the AB’s proposal to forgive $11,000 out of the remaining $14,000 remaining on the loan. The interest, which totals about $3,000, will be taken out of the UB’s budget for next year.

UB representatives approached the AB two weeks ago asking for an additional allocation to repay the loan. AB members decided instead to forgive the loan, with the stipulation that the interest still be paid.

When the proposal was presented to the senate last week, it produced a great deal of discussion on both sides, and members debated holding the UB accountable for their debts or forgiving the loan in the best interest of the students.

Senate members chose the latter, and instead of $14,000 being cut from the UB budget next year, only the $3,000 interest will be cut.

The senate also passed a bill in support of the university influence area of the Unified Development Code and voted to allocate $2,225 from the AB reserve account to the senate for expenses for the annual Recognized Student Organization Banquet.

Though the vote was in favor of supporting the university influence area, senate members mentioned concerns that the university

influence area was not big enough and that having such an area segregates Eastern from Charleston.

“We’re not traditional Charleston residents,” Marty Ruhaak, External Relations Committee chair and author of the bill, said.

However, Internal Affairs Chair Ronnie Deedrick said steps need to be taken to make the community one instead of two.

Relaxation of zoning laws, additional parking for businesses and residences and beautification of properties within the influence area are a few of the benefits of creating the university influence area.

The code has been under revision for the past year and a half, and is tentatively scheduled to be voted on sometime in April.

In other business, senate members approved a new RSO, titled the Freestyle Circle. The goal of the organization is to organize musical performers to help bring an entertainment scene to Eastern.