The Undergraduate Student Senate approved a new operating budget for the 2005-2006 school year during its June 2 meeting, said Kevin Folk, business and finance senator.

The $90,475 budget, up $5,000 from last year, will provide funds for office supplies, conferences, advertising and travel expenses among other things.

Executive Director Bill Ross said a large portion of the budget will be used for senate initiatives in order to prevent USS from having to ask for more money during the school year.

“In the past we went by the seat of our pants and what happened, happened,” Ross said, noting that the senate has usually ended up in need of additional funds.

“We’re now setting money aside beforehand,” he said.

The initiatives include money for information packets, open student forum advertising, voter registration, election issue campaigning and coffee talks with Carol Cartwright during the fall and spring semesters.

The budget also provides money for the Student Leader Development Board, an organization that Ross said will focus on developing new student leaders through the efforts of current student leaders.

One other new program that Ross said he hopes will get students involved in political issues at Kent is the broadcasting of Kent City Council meetings on TV-2.

“Right now the university is changing and city council is also doing a lot of things that are going to affect students,” Ross said. “We hope this will make students aware of what’s going on.”

During the meeting, Ross also outlined several of his priorities during the summer, including the ongoing image improvement campaign, something Ross said goes hand in hand with the new initiatives.

“I think the Student Senate has been kind of lazy the past couple of years, and now we’re trying to get out there and do something,” Ross said. “We want students to see who we are and what we do.”

Contact general assignment reporter Will Schertz at [email protected].