By Mitch Holt, Copy Editor
The Students’ Association met Wednesday and voted in favor of two resolutions: to create a committee to research the university’s dancing policy, and petitioning the administration about presidential scholars living off campus.
Because SA doesn’t have the power to change the university’s policy on dancing, the association will form a committee to objectively research the policy’s intentions. On the committee will be both students in favor of changing the policy and students not in favor of the change.
While the student guide says students can make their own choice to dance or not dance, the university does not allow student organizations, such as social clubs, to host official dance events. This is an issue the committee will research.
Brandon Smith, junior political science major from Kansas City, Kan., and junior class representative, said during the meeting that this committee will simply look at a policy that hasn’t changed for many years and the reason it still stands.
“The dance committee is looking at taking a research and development approach, polling students and faculty,” Smith said to the association. “We’re just going to see where this conversation goes.”
Smith, who said he personally thinks the policy should change, said any member of SA, whether for or against changing this policy, is welcome to join the committee.
The resolution to form a dance committee was passed by SA with 35 votes in favor, six votes against and three votes abstaining.
A resolution to petition the administration about Presidential scholars being allowed to live off campus was also passed. As it stands, presidential scholars are required to live at University Park Apartments and pay the monthly rent. Beginning this semester, these students were given the option to live off campus if they dropped to a Trustee Scholarship level.
The administration’s original intent was to promote campus leadership by keeping the presidential scholars among their peers in the dorms, said Ryan Stephen, sophomore finance major from Spring and chief advancement officer for SA.
But, Stephen said, this policy became outdated when the dorms filled up and the presidential scholars were moved to UP.
“Currently, UP is mostly just athletes and presidential scholars,” he said. “It defeats the purpose of the original on-campus living policy to have all of the Presidential scholars in one place.”
The creators of the resolution think presidential scholars should be able to live off campus with out having to drop to the nearest Trustee scholarship, and Stephen said it would cost about $11,000 a year for full Presidential.
“While the option this semester was a step in the right direction, it is still far too expensive an option for most people,” he said.
Instead, he said deducting one year of would-be rent at UP from the tuition of those opting to live off campus would be a fair compromise.
“The rent deduction for those choosing to live off campus would be a fair alternative to the system we have now,” Stephen said. “The Presidential scholars would be happier with their living situation, and the university would lose nothing financially. Plus, we believe this will only open up more opportunities for us to lead. It’s a win-win situation.”
SA voted on the resolution and unanimously voted to pursue the possibility of off-campus housing for Presidential without a deduction in scholarship money.
