The Student Government Association elections will be held all through this week.
The senate meeting on March 12 started 20 minutes late because there weren’t enough senators present to have a quorum. There are 16 senators in SGA and 11 needed to be in attendance to have a quorum. The SGA has to have a quorum to be able to vote on legislation. Members not in attendance had to be phoned and told their presence was needed.
“Don’t show up late, you hold everyone else up.” Jeff Martin, chief justice, said.
Martin also reminded those late it was two weeks until elections were over and they were still have to attend meetings even if they weren’t running for re-election.
This election starts on March 16. Candidates running for senate seats are Candice Boudreaux, Erick Marques, Jonathan Moody, Richard Young, Jennifer Broadus, Rachel Carty, Kyle Chiang, Christopher Eve, Floella Gonya, Elizabeth Jackson, Mark Johnson, Benjamin Kelien, Melissa Lamanna, Beverly Raley, Abrar Syed, and Benjamin Taylor.
“[I’m running because] you get to be more involved,” Beverly Raley, international studies sophomore, said. Raley is presently an active senator in SGA.
James Bonsall, treasurer who’s running for the presidential seat, said he’d make changes to SGA if he won.
“[If elected] we are going to make an impact,” Bonsall said. “No more passive SGA.”
Bonsall, who is running with Amanda Denbo, said they want to make a difference. Bonsall and Denbo, if elected, said they would work to get students tax-free text books, because Indiana has one of the highest sales tax rates in the country.
“We would like to help the campus go green,” Denbo said.
Bonsall and Denbo propose to have a voluntary “green fee” of $5 add as a check similar to the park pass box add to the student registration process.
If a student chooses to check the box, the money would go to help with recycling efforts on campus. Bonsall also said he would like to hold monthly forums in the commons so the students could come and talk about any issues they had. Bonsall plans to hold a State of the Student Body Address as well.
Josh Sesar, SGA vice president, along with Spencer Castile, mathematics sophomore, are running against Bonsall and Denbo. Sesar and Castile also would like to see more recycling done.
However, they propose to add more recycling bins around campus.
“At present there are only two buildings that have recycling bins in them,” Sesar said.
“It would be good to see them in places maybe like the cafeteria, computer lab, library lobby and other buildings.”
Sesar also said he would like to help the Student Involvement Board form a massive event where each student organization would try to out-do the other in their student involvement, not just the little events that each one holds now. Sesar and Castiles aid they would like to establish a book swap where students could come and trade books with each other.
They also believe there should be a better variety of food in the cafeteria and would work to see this accomplished.
After prior meeting minutes were approved, two bills were introduced: the Multicultural Student Union, Student Program Council Comedy Series bill and the Civil Liberties Union’s Spring Forum, bill.
The MSU bill will allot $50 to the Student Program Council.
The bill was voted into emergency status because the allotted money is to go to cover the cost of 10 Little Caesars pizzas for the Comedy Series show on March 17 at 8 p.m. in the Hoosier Room.
The $50 for this event would be paid for out of the SGA credit card royalties account.
The IUSCLU bill was also voted into emergency status. The CLU requested $50 to cover food and beverages for their spring forum. However after discussing the wording of the bill it was amended to say the CLU would be reimbursed after they presented receipts from purchases made for the spring forum April 9. The spring forum will be open to students and the community. Both bills were passed.
In other business, Bonsall said in his report Dining Services would like to expand. Dining Services presently are not self sufficient, however they are proposing a $350,000 expansion.
“The way it is now, it sucks,” Matt Murry, senator, said, “so we are going to change it.”
Murry, who also works for Dining Services, said because Dining Services didn’t get a say in how things were remodeled, not much was done to improve their area. He said they feel the expansion would allow them to provide better service.
Ben Kelien, secondary education sophomore, was sworn in as a senator.
Jennifer Broadus, senate secretary, presented a new sign-in, sign-out binder and new calendar. She said she was trying to make things easier for everyone.
“Office supplies and copier paper are not for election use, personal use, homework, or for coloring pages,” Broadus said. “They are just for SGA use.”
Broadus also asked everyone to keep the office clean.
By LORI RICHIE
Staff writer
larichie@ius.edu
