Just as the Undergraduate Student Government Senate was about to elect a new vice president Tuesday night, Senate President Ron Marlow made a motion to eliminate the position.

But after long debate, the senate denied Marlow's motion and elected fraternity Senator Jon Barbour.

"I want to get a lot of things organized for the elections coming up," Barbour said. "Hopefully we'll be able to accomplish some things. I hope to have smoother internal workings of the senate."

Barbour, a junior majoring in economics who joined the senate in November, serves on the senate's Administrativerative Contact Committee and is the chairman on the subcommittee on University Parking. He is also a liaison to the Office of Physical Plant.

Barbour will serve for the next four weeks until the next congress. He was elected to replace the previous senate vice president, J. David James who resigned from the position two weeks ago. James, a town senator who was elected senate vice president in November, allegedly diverted more than $800 from the USG office to a personal bank account and is involved in litigation.

Marlow said the vice president is unnecessary and does mostly clerical work.

"The position was created at a time when the senate president was busy," Marlow said. "The position was created to take over senate president's duty while he was away doing other things.

"It was hard for us to come up with the duties of the vice president," he added. "I think it is bureaucratic and unnecessary."

But most senators said a senate vice president helps out with many of the president's duties.

"From my experience as a senate president the vice president helps the president in operating the senate as a whole," town Senator Mike McKee said. "I used the senate vice president as a proxy for USAB two times."

The senate vice president's duties include: Giving information to media, chairing committee meetings, keeping attendance records, making sure senators are full-time and writing the senate's budget.

In other business, the senate passed a $1,410.10 budget for the upcoming USG elections March 31.