Plans are in the works for an outdoor dining area by the Food Court, Shirley Stewart, interim vice president for student affairs, told the Student Senate Wednesday.

The senate passed a resolution for the creation of a patio by the food court. The old patio was closed in with the construction of the new food court.

Stewart told the senate there are plans to put in picnic tables at the base of the north entrance to the food court. However, no concrete can be poured and no landscaping can take place for the patio until the weather improves.

Proposed budget amounts for five boards funded by the student activity fee were presented, but were tabled.

The Apportionment Board oversees those five budgets and decided the amounts in a series of meetings that took place before spring break. Those boards are the University Board, Student Senate, Players Dramatic Performances, Campus Recreation and the AB.

The total amount of money from student activity fees that will be divided among the five boards is $447, 670.

A total of $48,295.20 had to be cut from the proposals, with the UB, Student Senate and Campus Recreation seeing budget decreases.

The budget amount for the UB totals $189,876, which is a decrease of $13,397.20.

To compensate for the decrease, most UB committees will see a decrease in their budgets and coordinator stipends will be $50 per month instead of $100.

However, the UB budget still includes money for tuition waivers for the chair and vice chair, and an increase in the movies budget.

Movie attendance has increased this year, and the UB will show a movie every Saturday that school is in session.

Campus recreation will receive $179,000, a decrease of $31,358. The original proposal included purchase of new equipment. To make up for the decrease, student payroll and purchase of equipment will be decreased.

The Student Senate will receive $31,035, a decrease of $3,000.

The original budget was the amount they will receive, but $3,000 was added to cover expenses of some senate programming that takes place throughout the year.

Players Dramatic Performances requested and will receive $8,614. This budget helps subsidize ticket costs for theater productions.

The AB requested $38,850, and will receive that amount. The AB also has a reserve account for unforeseen circumstances of the boards it oversees.

The proposed budgets were all tabled and will be voted on next week.

In other business, senate members will begin handing out parking surveys to be used in a parking forum to take place April 9, and in future meetings of the Parking Committee.

The surveys are necessary because it is difficult to make an impact unless student members on the committee can show they represent what students want.

The goal is to get all 1,000 surveys filled out.

Applications for seats on the Student Senate and Student Government executive positions are available in the Student Activities Office, located on the second floor of the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union across from Copy Express.

Applications for these positions are due April 10.