Student Senate approved an additional $12,442 to the Homecoming Committee at Wednesday’s meeting. The proposal passed 23-0-0.

Homecoming is next week, and the current Homecoming budget including the additional allocation comes to about $37,000, according to Ceci Brinker, director of Student Life.

“We’re reaching out to the community more, and that’s something we need to continue to do,” said Levi Bulgar, student executive vice president. “Not having this money would be a big hit for publicity.”

“Unless we want Homecoming week to suck, we need this money now,” said senate member Brandon Thompson.

Homecoming coordinator Brian Allen answered questions following his presentation to the Student Senate.

The limousine in the Library Quad is a preview of what is to come in Homecoming week, he said.

Any student will be able to enter into a raffle that Efren Ramirez of “Napoleon Dynamite” fame will randomly choose the winners.

Winning students will be driven around in the limousine all day Oct. 20, the day of the Homecoming game. The winner will also receive two free tickets to the game and a free dinner for two at Cody’s.

Student Senate responded in support of the additional funding particularly because of the extra spending on publicity.

Bulgar also presented to the senate some of the topics of discussion at this year’s first Illinois Board of Higher Education Student Advisory Committee.

The proposed capital bill, which is a piece of legislation approving more funding for construction around the state, was passed in the Illinois Senate and awaiting a vote within the House.

The new funding in the bill is a $25 million appropriation for constructing a new steam and heat power plant on campus.

“What we have now is old technology that needs to be updated,” Bulgar said. “We need to start living up to our generation’s standards of energy efficiency.”

If passed, other funding in the bill will provide $1.5 million for furnishing the new Doudna Fine Arts Center, as well as $773,000 for maintenance costs around campus.

Also at IBHE-SAC, the student representatives passed a resolution to thank state Rep. Mattie Hunter for repeatedly petitioning bills in the Illinois House of Representatives that would make textbooks more affordable in Illinois universities.

In other news, the senate tabled legislation for funding Trashformers, the recycling event planned for Nov. 5.

The development and recycling committee within the senate plans to buy 50 T-shirts to be used as prizes for 2nd and 3rd place winners of the competition.

More than $300 of the $392.68 proposed for Trashformers will pay for the T-shirts. First place winners will receive a free pizza party.

The senate appeared enthusiastic over the tabled legislation.

“This kind of event makes recycling fun as well as something to do,” said Student Senate member Isaac Sandidge. “And it’s a friendly form of competition. Americans tend to like competition.”

Sandidge also announced that the first Safety Walk of the 2007-08 year would be at 8 p.m. on Tuesday beginning at the Student Activity Center in the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union.

Also at the meeting, the Illinois Council of American Policy and the Criminal Justice Club were approved as registered student organizations.

Upcoming plans for Student Government include gathering input to update next year’s housing booklet for students, as well as looking into a resolution concerning the campus improvement fee for students.