The Apportionment Board Thursday night unanimously voted to allocate over $500 to Student Government to pay for expenses not allocated in the budget for an additional person taken to the Conference on Academic Integrity in Virginia.

Ronnie Deedrick, student vice president of academic affairs, said the conference was attended so Student Government, Judicial Board and Judicial Affairs could learn methods to improve Academic Integrity – something Eastern has experienced problems with over the past year.

“The conference was exactly what the title states,” Deedrick said. “Academic Integrity is a timely subject because the number of Internet cases of plagiarism has more than doubled since the fall of 2000 and the fall of 2001.”

Deedrick, along with student senate member Amanda Sartore and two faculty members attended the conference.

Sartore was not originally scheduled to attend the conference, but Deedrick wanted her to attend because she might be able to use the information next year if she serves in a Student Government position.

Shirley Stewart, vice president of student affairs, had promised she would pick up the extra costs for Sartore, but was unable to because of the untimely budget commissions, Deedrick said.

The conference was held at the University of Virginia and Deedrick said he thought about 100 schools attended the conference.

“We learned how other other schools are dealing with academic integrity – and they are more strict than us,” Deedrick said. “We learned ways to improve by incorporating academic integrity into the student conduct laws. Either way, it is going to take time to put it all into place.”

Amy Leonard, student vice president for business affairs, also announced to the AB that the new bylaw that was passed by the Student Senate last weekend regarding the allocation of money to non-fee funded boards has a loophole.

“I have been told if any one that isn’t a non-fee funded board wants money, they can still get money,” Leonard said. “But they must go to one of the five fee-funded boards first, but not directly to us.”

Leonard said she would allocate money to non-fee funded boards if they were able to prove the program would entertain and benefit student life.

The AB reserve fund currently has over $150,000 in the account. AB will meet in the future when funded and non-funded boards request additional funds.