Associated Students Finance Board gave funds to two upcoming political events at their meeting Monday afternoon, making its already limited budget tighter.

A.S. Finance Board appropriated a total of $875.38 of its budget at the meeting, with $400 going to A.S. Legislative Council for their upcoming A.S. Congress, and $475.38 allocated Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity for a Nov. 1 voter information session. After Monday, Finance Board will have $282.62 available to give to student groups for the remainder of the quarter.

A.S. Flack Intern Nina Tringali said A.S. Congress is scheduled for Oct. 27 and will function as a forum for students to discuss five issues, suggested by students and pertinent to the improvement of the university. A.S. executive officers will decide which five suggestions the congress will address, she said, and at the end of the event, students who attend the congress will vote for the one particular goal they would like Leg Council to work on for the 2004-05 school year.

Tringali said students should e-mail her by Oct. 18 at ninat@as.ucsb.edu if they wish to attend the congress and should include a list of what topics they consider important campus issues.

“I’m hoping a lot of people will have similar goals,” she said. “Hopefully they have tangible goals that could be accomplished in two and a half quarters.”

Tringali said she has thus far received e-mails from students interested in such issues as disability access, the addition of unisex bathrooms, banning the sale of cigarettes on campus and lowering the price of textbooks.

Board member Jason Everitt motioned to fund the entire $800 requested by Leg Council, citing the importance of the event.

“I think this is going to be the only event this year that everyone can attend,” Everitt said.

A.S. President and Finance Board member Cervin Morris motioned to lower the amount of money to be allocated to Leg Council, saying the group did not exhaust other funding sources prior to coming before the board. Leg Council ultimately received $400 of the requested $800 from the board in an 11-2 vote, with two members abstaining. The money would be used to pay for the costs of renting space in the UCen and part of the event’s food budget.

Moving from campus politics to national elections, Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity member Michael Jackson requested and received $475.38 for a voter information session on Nov. 1 in Isla Vista Theater. Board members voted 5-4 in favor of the event, with seven members abstaining.

Jackson said representatives from Campus Democrats, Campus Republicans, the League of Women Voters and others will present information on candidates and ballot initiatives for the Nov. 2 election.

“We’re trying to keep this as nonpartisan as possible,” he said. “There will definitely be no attacking of either side.”

All students are welcomed and encouraged to attend, Jackson said.