The Associated Students of Madison Reserve Board met Wednesday night to discuss the allocation of $830,000 of excess segregated fees.

The Reserve Board quickly and unanimously voted to allocate approximately $828,700 of the segregated fees in the reserve back to students over the course of the next academic year.

"It would be inappropriate and absurd if we did not return [reserve funds] to the students," Eric Varney, member of the ASM Reserve Board, said. "This does not deserve debate because it is something we all know is right."

The entirety of segregated fee reserves should be used to offset segregated fees for next year, according to the language of the approved motion.

Members of the board supported the motion by arguing students want to see unused segregated fees returned to them and there is no reason to save reserves.

Vice Chair of the Reserve Board Eric Saar emphasized the necessity to return all of the reserve fees during the 2006-07 academic year, rather than over an extended period of time, so that the students who paid the yearly fees receive the reimbursement in the same time frame.

"[The] money should go back to the people who are paying it," he noted.

The additional $1,300 of fees in the reserve will be allocated to the Legal Information Center to ease their office move from the Pres House to Union South.

At the LIC, University of Wisconsin law students offer free legal information and referrals to anybody who calls or walks into the office.

The money will help the LIC pay for a new filing system, moving fees and campus-wide advertising for their new location.