Union Treasurer Nick Freeman '07 cut the Union Senate's discretionary fund in half in an attempt to reduce the senate's role in club funding.The move follows newly-passed legislation that limits senate discretionary spending to senate projects, making clubs unable to approach the senate for money.

Under the Union Government budget presented by Freeman at the senate meeting Sunday, the fund, usually set at $10,000, will be reduced to $5,000 next fall, and a new $5,000 finance board-controlled "club support fund" will be created.

The Union treasurer has traditionally allocated around $10,000 to the senate discretionary fund, between $2,000 and $3,000 of which usually finances senate projects such as Deis-a-thon and Mod Fest. The remainder was doled out with a petition process in which clubs make their case before the senate for funding.

According to outgoing Union Treasurer Aaron Gaynor '07, the senate had essentially became a "second finance board," and he has increasingly wanted to shift the time used for money requests to time used advocating for the student body.

Former Class of 2008 Senator Noah Haber '08 and former Finance Board Chair and Union Treasurer Andrei Khots '05, who were concerned about the liberal manner in which the senate allocated funding, were among several Student Union officials who penned the legislation.

"I've heard estimates that the Union spends 60 to 70 percent of its time on [Senate Money Requests]," Haber said. "We could be spending this time really helping the student body...The [Finance Board] is streamlined to handle these money requests, and senate was never designed to do it."

Freeman budgeted $5,000 for the senate discretionary fund, a figure higher than typically spent on senate projects.

"You're going to be able to come out of here with a lot more senate projects that will help the campus a lot more," Freeman told the senate.