Campaigning season is upon us, as I’m sure you are all aware based on the signs and fliers that are coating campus. But while all eyes are turned toward our future leaders, it’s important to remain aware of the legislation that is currently being passed by the Student Government Senate.
As the Student Government session draws to a close, it’s time to award the annual Jenny Chang Outstanding Student Service Award. This award is given to a campus department, like University Dining, or to an individual that Student Government feels has gone above and beyond the expectations of both Student Government and the Student Body in service of the students on our campus. At the last senate meeting we had nominees ranging from Campus Police to Athletics and it will be interesting to see what groups our committee has narrowed it down to. Regardless of the winner, the award is an excellent chance to honor those working hard on behalf of the students, a task made especially difficult by the limited resources presented by current budget cuts. The final vote will be at today’s senate meeting, so if you have a strong opinion about a deserving department, come out and make your voice heard.
Shifting gears to an academic focus, the senate will also be having the first reading of a bill focused on making changes to the drop/add policies here on campus. It is inevitable that next year there will be fewer seats and sections in most departments and throughout the University as a whole. Though this may be the case, Student Government is trying to find ways to maximize the use students get from the limited seats available. Essentially, under the current policy, students may drop classes for six weeks after the start of classes. Yet they can only add classes for the first two weeks. Any classes dropped in the meantime are lost to students forever, potentially preventing students from graduating on time due to the unavailability of classes. Hopefully, this bill will be able to bridge the gap by lengthening the adding period, while encouraging students to drop unwanted classes quickly without negatively impacting classroom performance.
The final topic of concern at today’s meeting needs no introduction—budget cuts. As students and departments around campus are tightening their belts, Student Government will be doing the same. One bill, up for first reading, gives the Treasurer voting power within the committees he or she serves on. This will give our chief financial officer greater power and weight in discussions as they work under tightening budget concerns. A second bill focuses on Student Government spending by proposing the elimination of pay for some Student Government officials. These funds will be put to better use during the appropriations process as funding for student clubs and organizations. But certainly the largest bill is the proposed budget for next year. The budget is too large to go into great detail here, but contact current Treasurer Buddy Bryson with questions or concerns.
Perhaps now you’ll be more informed about some of the issues underway as you walk around campus in the next few weeks. I hope you will take the time to weigh the candidates and ask them a few questions about their plans for next year and what they’ve accomplished so far in the current session. Flashy logos may be nice, but there’s more to serving in Student Government than a catchy campaign sign.
