By Paul A. Anthony, Editor in Chief

Warning that attendance at next week’s Students’ Association meeting was especially crucial, president Jeremy Smith hinted that big changes were in the offing for Congress.

Smith took an unusually harsh tone in his closing remarks to Congress at the end of Wednesday’s meeting.

“A lot of what we do is a joke, and I think a lot of us realize that,” he said. “A lot of that’s gotta change. That’s what we’re going to talk about.”

The remarks came at the end of a largely uneventful meeting in which Congress approved a grant of $800 to the university’s debate team out of the Student Request Fund and $150 out of the Student Service fund to the Voice and Phonetics Class.

The Student Request Fund now stands at $4,212.25.

Four advocacy task forces have now presented to Congress, two last week and two Wednesday.

The residence hall task force reported it was collecting petition signatures to revise and clarify open house policy.

Communication said it had contacted other student organizations about the possibility of a national meeting.

Food and dining said it was collecting signatures in hopes of adding an hour to the Bean’s dinner time, and the academics task force presented its mission.

Congress now has one lees occupied seat after McKinzie representative Tony Pounds resigned two weeks ago.

COBA rep Brandi Featherston also resigned but was replaced Wednesday by Sunoj James, last year’s International Students Association president.

The Students’ Association Congress meets every Wednesday at 5 p.m. in Room 114 of the Biblical Studies Building.

All undergraduate students are members of SA and are invited to attend.