What began as a simple presentation became a heated debate as the University of Wisconsin Union Council finalized plans to keep students involved in the design and renovation of the Memorial Union Thursday night.

Wisconsin Union Directorate Vice President of Project Management Patrick Tilley presented plans for a Design Committee that would work with architects and union staff members to make sure students have a say in the design process, a committee which had been debated in past meetings.

“I think what we have today…is just new and improved,” Tilley said.

The Design Committee would consist of the Union president, a Student Union employee, three Union president appointed students, two Union staff members, two UW faculty or staff members and two Memorial Union Building Association members.

In addition to the committee, Tilley also introduced an Executive Board, which would refine the recommendations of the design committee.

A later amendment stipulated the Executive Board continue to exist until construction is done to ensure the final results match the plans.

The Executive Board would consist of the Union president, the student project manager, a Design Committee appointed student, the Union director and a Union staff member.

While the structure of the Executive Board and Design Committee passed with minimal debate, tempers rose as the council debated the addition of a student project manager and a WUD vice president of leadership and development to the Union’s budget.

Tilley said the project manager position is meant to take stress off of WUD vice presidents, who he said are overworked. While the appointed student would receive a $5,300 stipend, there are no current plans for funding this position.

Members of the council insisted they know where the funding for this position would come from before they passed it.

The position was eventually passed on the condition the money for the stipend not come from the WUD budget or student segregated fees.

The new WUD vice president position was even more contentious. Tilley introduced the position, saying it was needed to focus on training new campus leaders.

“We want a position that will help cultivate that kind of knowledge,” Tilley said.

Associated Students of Madison Chair and committee member Tyler Junger argued against the position, saying there are other student positions on campus WUD could rely on for help in this area.

“There is an infinite amount of work that officers can do in any position…it comes down to making difficult decisions,” Junger said.

The position passed when the WUD President Xiangyun Zhang called for a vote when Junger was out of the room.

Junger later said in an interview with The Badger Herald the Union government has been a large cause of frustration for him both now and in the past.

He said the council’s vote to add two new paying positions to their budget during a recession is fiscally irresponsible, adding Student Service Finance Committee would be closely scrutinizing the Union government budget this year.