At this week's Student Senate meeting, the committee chairpersons reported briefly on the progress of their committees. The bulk of the two-hour meeting, however, went to presentations, discussions and decisions regarding special allocation funding for various events and projects.

Business affairs chair Ed Ryan announced that cashless vending at Carnegie Mellon is just around the corner. Purchases made using student IDs at cashless vending machines will require a Campus Express account. The machines will read students' ID cards and deduct the purchase from the connected Campus Express account. Ryan also said his committee will look into how students' tuition dollars and the technology fee funds are being spent.

Campus life chair Nasheena Porter reported that many residents have been dissatisfied with Campus Housing this fall. Upon moving into their dorms, some students found messy rooms and broken furniture. Porter's committee will investigate whether housing can hire temporary staff next year to accommodate the back-to-school rush. Porter also said campus life is looking into a readership program that would bring a major newspaper, such as the The New York Times or The Washington Post, to students free of charge.

Maureen Burns, the communications chair, announced the completion of informational posters about Student Senate that will soon be distributed around campus. She also mentioned a new initiative to install enclosed bulletin boards installed at each college reserved for announcements from Student Senate.

The internal development committee reported two new openings in Student Senate. These vacancies are open to undergraduates in HSS and Tepper. Each applicant must submit an election petition (available at www.stusen.org) signed by members of his or her home school. Appointments to vacancies are approved by Senate.

Following the committee reports, the rest of the meeting was spent debating five proposed special allocations. The Society of Physics Students' request for a special allocation of $250 to build a trebuchet, a powerful catapult, met some initial resistance. Senators questioned the usefulness of the trebuchet, which would be stored in the physics lounge. Sentiment quickly shifted when the society's representative disclosed that the trebuchet could launch cantaloupes hundreds of feet. Student Body President Erik Michaels-Ober had two questions for the physicist: Could the trebuchet reach the sixth floor of Warner Hall, and how soon would it be ready for Student Senate to borrow?

Due to concerns regarding overspending, the funding and recognition committee proposed allocations for several events that were significantly lower than the original requests. For example, the special allocation for Relay for Life, an event supporting the fight against cancer, was initiallyreduced from $3,500 to $2,000. After significant debate, that number was increased to $2,750. Though all agreed that the event would benefit the campus community, questions about the success of the event and its funding remained.

The Senate also approved a $2,400 special allocation for the Quarter Mile of Quarters. This event, hosted by Kappa Kappa Gamma and Kappa Delta Rho, celebrates the completion of their fundraising drive for the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh. The festivities on October 15 include races and free food. The money from Senate will cover the cost of inflatable games.

As the meeting progressed, decisions came more quickly. Senate provided $2,450 for SoHo to cover the honorarium of a keynote speaker for Gay Pride Month, who will speak at their September 29 event, anda special allocation of $900 for two national election events run by the Student Body President met little resistance. These will include election-themed decorations, food, and live television coverage of the September 30 presidential debate and the November 2 election returns.