By Jonathan Smith, Editor in Chief
The Students’ Association unanimously approved funds on Wednesday to provide free use of the pool tables and Xbox video game systems in the Recreation Center of the Campus Center for students for the remainder of the school year.
The bill, which was brought before Congress by freshman senators Brandon Smith and Jordan Williams, will cost the Students’ Association $100 each week for the remaining seven weeks of the semester.
Smith said SA conducted a survey of students a few weeks ago asking what could be done to improve students’ experience in the Recreation Center.
“The vast majority of students polled would go more often if [pool and Xbox] were free,” Smith said.
Some members asked if this was the only improvement for the Recreation Center that SA was looking to accomplish.
“In the future, we’re looking at doing more,” Williams said. “We think this is a major step at moving forward to what the students want.”
Smith agreed and said that more would likely come out of this project.
“We’re not trying to push everything at once just from a logistical standpoint,” Smith said. “The whole point of this is not to get a bunch of free stuff, but to have student involvement.”
Executive president Layne Rouse also wrote a letter to Congress and presented it at the meeting to apologize for the confusion caused at the Feb. 23 meeting when he brought Jeremy Gudgel, sophomore environmental science major from Andrews, before Congress for appointment as representative for Edwards Hall.
Gudgel began the year as chief financial officer, an appointed position by the executive cabinet. He resigned Oct. 27, and SA bylaws prohibit a candidate who served in one capacity-whether elected or appointed-from filling another office during the same academic year.
Rouse said he felt Gudgel now could be considered eligible for the position while still upholding the intent of the bylaws.
Confusion quickly engulfed the rest of the Feb. 23 meeting as members debated whether to appoint Gudgel without violating its own bylaws or to temporarily suspend the bylaws to make the appointment.
In the end, Congress voted against both appointing Gudgel and temporarily suspending the bylaws-a solution which some felt still left the issue unresolved.
Wednesday, Rouse said in his letter that unless he received enough feedback during the rest of the week supporting Gudgel’s appointment, he would not seek for Gudgel to be appointed for the semester’s five remaining meetings.
