Homecoming is this week and just like last year the Homecoming Committee asked the Apportionment Board for additional funds to plan a successful event.

This is not a problem. To bring someone like Dennis Haskins from “Saved by the Bell” or Efren Ramirez from “Napoleon Dynamite” funds are needed.

However, when giving additional funds to an organization, proper procedure should always be followed.

On Oct. 4, less than two weeks before Homecoming, AB approved an additional $12,442 to bring Ramirez, along with renting the Will Rogers Theater, a limousine contest, giveaways and prizes.

Less than a week later Student Senate unanimously approved the additional allocation to the Homecoming Committee.

This is unusual, because before Student Senate is supposed to vote on a proposal it usually is required to be tabled for a week unless the Student Senate speaker deems it “emergency legislation.”

Since the allocation was brought up the week before Homecoming, it was deemed “emergency legislation” and quickly approved.

Student Senate Speaker Adam Martinelli said if the allocation was not approved the Homecoming Committee would have to spend money they did not have or not hold the events.

While Martinelli may not have been pleased having to quickly vote on the funds, he said he was confident that the proposal was in proper form.

Homecoming Chair Brian Allen said he couldn’t bring the proposal to AB until he received budgets from his committees.

While the money was not available, the contract with Ramirez was being negotiated and would be finalized when the money was approved, he said.

Leah Pietraszewski, student vice president for business affairs and AB chair, had to step out from discussion on the voting at the AB meeting because she is on the Homecoming Committee.

According to the Apportionment Board Operations Manual, if a member has a “significant conflict of interest” the member should not should not discuss nor vote on the proposal. When a roll call vote is taken, the member is supposed to abstain.

She said the proposal thoroughly showed where the money was going.

When the Homecoming Committee came before AB and Student Senate last year with a proposal for $10,100, proper procedure was followed.

Additional funds were approved about two weeks before Homecoming.

AB heard approved the proposal on Sept. 21, 2006 and it was tabled at the Sept. 27 Student Senate meeting.

The proposal was overwhelmingly approved at the Oct. 4, 2006 meeting, well before Homecoming Week, which started Oct. 16.

While it is difficult to prepare for an event as large as Homecoming, the additional funds needed should be looked at as closely as every other proposal.

With a unanimous vote from Student Senate last week, it shows that there is no major opposition to adding events to Homecoming.

An extra week for them to double check the proposal and go talk to a few students to see what they think wouldn’t hurt.

With the committee bringing the proposal in earlier in the past, there is no reason why present and future committees can’t bring the proposals four weeks in advance of Homecoming.