The Association of Residence Hall Students passed an amendment to its bylaws Monday night that would revamp the structure of ARHS Cinemas, described by one member as a "dead horse."

The amendment, which passed 11-2-1, sparked debate concerning the future of the fund-raiser, as ARHS Cinemas has been a source of disagreement among council members in the past.

Gene Pfeiffer, West Halls president, submitted the amendment calling for an ARHS Cinemas Committee to present a tentative semester schedule and budget at the second ARHS meeting of every semester.

Since it stopped showing pornographic films in 1988, the fund-raiser has not turned a profit for ARHS, Pfeiffer said. However, this semester it has grossed about $800, he said, possibly due to the better quality of movies and an effective director. Whether the $800 reflects profit will be assessed at the end of the semester.

But Craig Group, Centre Halls president, denounced the amendment as "just another coat of paint."

Group said his colleagues should abolish ARHS Cinemas and consider more profitable alternative fund-raisers. He added that once cable television is implemented in the dorms, ARSH Cinemas will incur further losses.

"It's a dog with fleas that's only going to get worse," he said. "This amendment is prolonging disaster."

However, Don Arndt, director of Housing and Food Services, said housing administrators have no immediate future plans to implement cable in the residence halls.

USG's Academic Assembly approved cable television in Nittany Hall Feb. 19, but rejected the idea of cable for all dorms due to financial and academic concerns. The assembly's approval is pending administrative approval.

"We're beginning to make some progress," Arndt said. "But I don't want anyone going out holding their breath."

Most area presidents do not want to boot ARHS Cinemas, Pfeiffer said.

The new amendment will allow council members to be more actively involved in ARHS Cinemas decisions, he said. This will help pull the fund-raiser out of the red, by providing ARHS support in matters of publicity, he added. Currently, the ARHS Cinemas director works with little supervision from or interaction with the council, he added.

"I don't like the idea of stopping something when it's on its way up," said Pollock President Sherri Shields, who voted for the amendment.

In February, Undergraduate Student Government Chief Justice Dennis Pollard approached ARHS to revoke the cinema's operational rules because of constitutional problems, Pfeffier said.

The fund-raiser was formerly a separate subordinate body to ARHS, working under the ARHS Cinemas Board of Directors which voted on money affairs and gave input to the cinemas director, he said.

After Pollard's announcement, the fund-raiser became a regular department of ARHS, and ACBOD now only serves as an advisory body to the ARHS Cinemas director, he added.

Following the vote on the amendment, ARHS representatives re-elected Stevie Rocco as ARHS Cinemas committee chair for the rest of the semester.

Rocco said ARHS Cinemas held a twofold purpose -- it acted as a service to students and as a fund-raiser. Yet it has not fulfilled that purpose, she added.

"Since 1986, it has never seen a profit," she said. "It has broken even at best and lost a lot of money at worst."

However, Rocco expressed hope that the new constitution would be successful.

ARHS Cinemas shows movies almost every weekend in the Fall Semester and at least four times in the spring, Pfeiffer said. Because of poor attendance due to a greater number of activities on campus in the spring, ARHS Cinemas shows fewer movies.