Last week’s Senate meeting was a grueling night.

The hot topic for the evening – money – guided lengthy discussions that ultimately funded Carnegie Mellon’s first Paintball Team and Rebecca Deutsch’s Fifth Year Scholars project, “Women’s Voices in Higher Education.”

The Paintball Team sought funded recognition as a separate entity from the Paintball Club and special allocations for its upcoming trip to the Michigan Winter Open tournament.

Many senators disapproved of funding such an “expensive hobby,” comparing it to a “yachting club,” while others objected to the term “hobby,” citing large networks like ESPN that treat it as a sport.

“I would like to see this team develop more first, before we give funding,” said Senator Steven Kling, who objected to the team’s apparent “negligence” to host fundraisers and collect dues from members. 

Supporters of the team, however, said it would be a good use of the Student Activities Fee by adding diversity to the campus.

By a two-thirds majority vote, the Paintball Team was granted funded recognition and, later that evening, a $591.60 special allocation to pay for entry fees in the Michigan Winter Open, paint, hotel rooms, and gasoline.

But the real investment of the night was the $4,000 Deutsch sought to fund her project, “Women’s Voices in Higher Education.”

The project, designed by Deutsch, is a mural in Margaret Morrison Carnegie Hall that is a reaction to, and in conversation with, the quote on the rotunda of the building; the mural will consist of various quotes by women who either attended the Margaret Morrison College for Women or Carnegie Mellon.

While the majority of Senate agreed that the project was “a worthy cause,” half objected to the large sum of money being solicited.

An amendment to reduce the funding was proposed and ultimately voted down because it was, as one senator said, “all or nothing.”

Senator Timothy Bowen was most vocal in his objections, claiming that the University, which had denied Deutsch more funding, was “strong-arming” the Senate into “ponying up more money.”

He believes that the University is forcing students to pay, via their Student Activities Fee, for campus enhancements that the University should fund itself, especially when it is a project that would strengthen alumni relations.

Senate eventually granted the money by a slim two-thirds vote, and students can expect to see the finished mural sometime this spring.

The Thai Student Association also received a special allocation to host Thai Night 2004, as did the Vietnamese Student Association, which will host Carnegie Mellon’s First Annual Pageant.

In other committee reports, the Andrew Portal will have new features after Spring Break, including a new feature that allows students to track their Campus Xpress accounts.