By Kelsi Peace, Managing Editor
Students across campus can enjoy a free cup of coffee during finals week, thanks to the Students’ Association Congress.
Executive president Matt Worthington and vice president Daniel-Paul Watkins presented a plan to Congress Oct. 31 to partner with Dining Services and ARAMARK to provide free coffee to students.
Meetings with director of purchasing Anthony Williams returned a cost lower than the Cabinet expected, with ARAMARK agreeing to pay half the cost, Dining Service and quarter and SA the remaining quarter: $500.
Rep. Ben Word and Rep. Tony Godfrey presented a bill to Congress at Wednesday’s meeting to use the funds from the Congressional project budget for the coffee.
ARAMARK will provide 3,500 cups of coffee available at a stand in the McGlothlin Campus Center Dec. 10-14, or until the coffee runs out.
“If students want to come, they just go over to this little place, and it’s available,” Worthington said. Some representatives raised concerns that students would take advantage of the available booth – especially because dining services decided checking IDs would slow the process.
“I’m sure someone will try to take advantage of it, but it will be OK,” Word assured Congress.
Worthington said in his meetings with Williams, they did not foresee any problems.
Congress passed the bill unanimously.
Godfrey said the plan originatedwith Watkins, and finals week seemed like a prime time to offer the service.
“We felt like we hadn’t done something for the student body as a whole,” Godfrey said.
Also at Wednesday’s meeting, Congress reallocated the $3,500 conference budget to the Congressional project fund, passing Rep. Kyle Moore’s bill to do so with 33 supporting, four votes opposing and one abstaining.
Last year, Congress members attended conferences in Boston and Jacksonville, Fla. This semester, none were planned. Conferences have been a controversial issue with student groups, because SA fully funds conferences its representatives attend, instead of applying the budgetary principles applied to other student organizations. However, SA receives no outside funding or departmental support.
