Two hours and fifteen minutes into the Apportionment Board’s meeting Thursday night, more than $7,000 was allocated from its remaining $235,661 reserve budget.

Student Speaker Adam Howell approached the board for additional allocations of $4,260 and $653 for Student Senate’s trip to the Conference on Student Government Affairs.

The conference will be held at Texas A&M University in February. The board approved the request unanimously in a vote of 9-0.

COSGA is an opportunity for student governments from universities all over the country to meet, share ideas and network, Howell said.

The money will be used to pay airfare and travel expenses for four senate members and an adviser.

So far, Howell has received more than 12 applications for the trip, most of which are from newly appointed senate members, he said.

Student Senate passed legislation last Feb. 16 to allow a fourth member to attend the conference.

Although he said there are other conferences based in Washington D.C. that offer regional conferences in Chicago and St. Louis for a cheaper rate, the conferences are held in early October. Student Senate decided against attending these events because October is “too early for us to have an appropriate application and selection process,” Howell said.

Also, the senate wants to make sure members who attend the conference will return next fall.

Despite a few miscalculations in the original proposed budget for the trip, board member John Stimac said Howell’s presentation convinced him.

“Based on last year, this is a much better presentation,” he said.

Ceci Brinker, director of student life, also said the trip is “well worth the investment.”

Senate members will be chosen next week along with alternates in case an original candidate does not get re-elected in the upcoming election.

Student Vice President Andrew Berger also received a $653 allocation on behalf of Student Government to go toward hosting the Illinois Board of Education Student Advisory Committee meeting in December.

Students meet over two days to discuss issues on their campuses, and Berger said it is important that Eastern host the event.

“It’s prime time to showcase our Student Government, our Student Action Team,” he said.

The money will pay for meals and beverages during the meetings for the estimated 40 student guests. This is a tradition and courtesy held by the university that hosts the meetings.

“These meetings can be eight hours plus, we don’t break for lunch,” Berger said of the intensity during the event.

The Apportionment Board also granted an additional $2,000 to the University Board.

The money will be used to cover the cost of paying the 12-person staff of Amp, UB’s promotional magazine formerly known as Pulse.

Chris Stanfield, UB chair, said they had estimated making $12,000 in advertisements, but the only reached $10,000.

He said that the Amp has recently been granted off-campus distribution .

Stanfield said he hopes to make up the cost when the Charleston community becomes more familiar with the publication.

Apportionment Board granted nearly $23,000 to the publication last April when they approved UB’s budget for this semester.

Other areas of UB’s budget such as public relations and various events were cut to accommodate the more than 9 percent decrease Apportionment Board required of this fall’s budget.

Apportionment Board member Maria Santoyo, who was UB chair during last year’s presentation, said in the April meeting that the allocation would be stretched over four or five issues this fall.

The University Board was also granted two line-item transfers, or rearrangements of money already in its budget, in the amounts of $958 and $169 from supplies to payroll and from printing and repairs/maintenance/rental to supplies, respectively.