Kaley Wind, left, a freshman from Sleepy Hollow studying English education, and Hatice Sancar, a visiting scholar from Turkey, ride Route 1 on the Saluki Express Tuesday. According to the Undergraduate Student Government, Route 1 is constantly late and crowded, but Sancar said she uses it often and that itÕs is never late or crowded. -- Sami Bowden | Daily Egyptian
Undergraduate Student Government’s only heated argument Tuesday involved $100 for document frames and afterward, it passed resolutions to improve mass transit and finally elected three new members to its Finance Committee.
Dave Loftus, chairman of the Internal Affairs Committee, wrote and submitted a senate mandate to reserve $100 into the student government’s internal supply budget for document frames that would be given to new Registered Student Organizations.
The senate passed the mandate 9-4 with one abstention.
Loftus said he presented the mandate so the senate could show their appreciation for the new organizations that have been approved this year and for the organizations to come.
“We’re spending money on ourselves and we should be spending money on the people we represent,” he said. “I don’t see why we can’t take a little bit of money out of our internal budget.”
John Kiwala, executive assistant, said if older organizations see that the newer ones are receiving frames, then they might want to have frames also.
Most of the senate ultimately agreed with Loftus and passed the mandate.
“I’m so excited that we actually didn’t spend money on ourselves,” Loftus said.
The senate also passed resolutions, which are strong suggestions based on student concerns that the student government sends to the university.
One resolution suggested the university replace an “inadequate” television in Allen I at the Triads.
The senate based most of its attention on the other resolution that suggested improvements in mass transit on campus. The resolution stated Route 1 is tardy and overcrowded, and more services should be offered for students living in the Reserves, which are more than one mile off campus.
Jamal Easley, senator for Brush Towers and University Park, said many of his constituents told him they rely heavily on the mass transit because they don’t have cars, especially on Route 8, which is supposed to pick up students from the Strip at night.
“Route 8 doesn’t really stop and pick up students at the bars on the Strip,” Easley said.
Loftus said he has noticed many students walking alone after dark back to the Reserves and is concerned for their safety. He said many students have gotten arrested for drunk driving because they feel they have no other choice to get back to their residences.
“These improvements would mean a lot to the students,” Loftus said. “They want this.”
The senate then approved three new members to its Finance Committee: Nikki Raufer, Elijah Richardson and Patrick Filipek.
Rhonda Daugherty, chairwoman of the committee, said she was glad all the new members are relatively new to the senate.
“I wanted to get flesh blood; people that can carry on next year,” Daugherty said.
Daugherty said even though the finance committee already has members, she wanted three more to make it a full group because of an increased responsibility in funds.
“Last semester we were only dealing with $8,000,” she said. “This time we’re dealing with $400,000 for the whole budget for next year.”
The previous student government administration over allocated funds to organizations, and left this year’s administration with the limited $8,000 per semester, President Priciliano Fabian said.
The senate’s next meeting will be at 6 p.m. Tuesday March 16. Krystin McDermott, chief of staff, said any students should come if they would like to speak about student fees, since it will be the main discussion of the meeting.
Erin Holcomb can be reached at eholcomb@dailyegyptian.com or 536-3311 ext. 255.
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My quote was a bit unprofessional. I’m just as frustrated as most people are concerning the spending priorities, lately.
Mass Transit addressing neglected areas is an improvement for the South Side of Carbondale. If implemented, the proposal will not require a funding increase, may cut down on drunk driving, and people walking down U.S. 51 at night who don’t have vehicles. Our proposal addresses a safety concern, which needs to be a priority. It addresses a gap in service which Night Safety Transit doesn’t cover. I expect Route 8 will see additional students benefit from this change. Right now, very few people use the route.
Facility maintenance has seen some progress. We’ve worked out some of the difficulties with funding and getting work orders submitted for minor repairs. Quigley Hall has seen some improvements already. I was told tonight Lentz needs some attention, as well. That will be addressed. Improvements have been made to Evergreen Terrace to make it a more comfortable place to live, and should continue.
At least three scholarships have been proposed to be cut by the State of Illinois due to the budget (HB4706 is one). Those cuts are being taken serious, and I’ll be working with various constituency groups who depend on the aid. I’m in conference calls with students from various universities and lobby organizations working to secure MAP funding for the fall already. This has not been forgotten. Some of our conference minutes for the MAP campaign are posted at http://savemap.pbworks.com/ for those interested. They can also be found with a google search.
I’m doing what I can, despite the state of affairs with the university and USG. Feel free to contact me with any concerns or suggestions.
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