The campaign to find Sparty a new home got a head start with a donation of $75,000 from ASMSU, but MSU's undergraduate student government didn't make it easy for the terra-cotta statue.

The bill passed with 21 votes, the minimum needed to pass a bill with the number of people attending the meeting Thursday.

The money will go toward restoration and movement of the statue, formally titled "The Spartan." Built in the 1940s, the statue is now cracking and deteriorating from years of exposure to the elements. MSU officials hope to move it to an indoor location and replace it with a bronze replica.

Instead of donating the money in one lump sum, Student Assembly decided to spread the donation over a three year span, giving $25,000 each year.

The reason behind the decision stemmed from the fact the money would be coming from a budget used for extreme budgetary needs.

Although there is about $580,000 in the fund, taking 13 percent out for the Sparty donation in one year would not be fiscally appropriate, said Derek Wallbank, Student Assembly representative for Residence Halls Association.

The donation could be repealed by future assemblies, but it's not likely to happen, Student Assembly Chairperson Matt Weingarden said.

By June 2004, the "Save Our Sparty" campaign plans on securing the $500,000 needed to recast the statue in bronze and move it to 50 feet south of its current spot in the Kalamazoo Street and Red Cedar Road intersection, said Karen Wenk, director of development for Campus Parks and Planning.

"This gift tonight would be the leadership campaign," she said. "It raises the bar to make alumni reach your level."

But not all Student Assembly members were comfortable with helping out what MSU officials call the world's largest free-standing ceramic statue.

"I can't pay for a statue knowing it (the money) could pay for someone's tuition," said Abigail Urish, Student Assembly representative for the College of Natural Science. "We represent students that are here for an education, not to take pictures in front of a statue."

Other representatives felt it was the university's responsibility to take care of MSU landmarks that need repair, not the students.

"If Sparty falls, the university will pick it up," said Diego Romero, Student Assembly representative for Culturas de las Razas Unidas.

But Wenk said the university could not take on the Sparty project at this time, which is why students and private donors are necessary.

Officials hope to raise the funds in time to complete the new statue by the university's 150th birthday in 2005, she said.

Wenk said the assembly should not worry if the statue's funding is not completed in time.

"There are projects in different departments that have been delayed," she said. "But that doesn't change the ultimate goal."