By Michael Freeman, Managing Editor

One week after the Students’ Association Congress closed its meeting to students and student media based on a concern that private conversations were being recorded, the SA Congress encouraged Optimist reporters to set up a voice recorder on a table at the front of Hart Auditorium for Wednesday’s meeting.

Sophomore Sen. Tony Godfrey, sophomore political science and English major from Burleson, proposed a resolution that stated Congress’ encouragement of students to listen to recorded meetings and participate in those meetings. The resolution passed 31-0-2.

“Transparency and accountability are and have, since inception, been core values of the Students’ Association,” Godfrey said.

The recording of Wednesday’s meeting is not available because of technical difficulties with the recorder.

“For the people who can’t come or don’t come to the meetings, I think it is a good way for them to find out what exactly happened,” said SA Congress treasurer Spencer Hemphill, senior accounting major from Longview.

Also on Wednesday’s agenda was the hearing of financial requests from Alpha Psi Omega, a theatre student group, and Swing Cats, a student swing dance group.

Congress approved an allocation of $2,480 to Alpha Psi Omega to help 13 student actors and four student technicians attend the Southeastern Theatre Conference in Birmingham, Ala., from March 4-8.

Seth Bazacas, senior theatre major from Helena, Mont., and Shae Candelaria, senior theatre major from Mesquite, originally presented a proposal of $4,180 to cover the group’s hotel costs and registration fees. After debate and a vote of 30-3-0, Congress granted only the funds to cover the hotel costs.

Congress also granted $2,280 to Swing Cats, so members can attend LindyFest, a dance class workshop in Houston, from March 12-15.

Baron Davis, senior information systems major from Irving, and Zach Wheat, senior political science major from Farmington, N.M., originally asked for $3,627.28 to pay for their group’s registration fees, hotel fees and gasoline costs. The amendment to grant $2,280 passed 17-9-4, and the vote to allocate the funds to Swing Cats passed by the count of 32-1-2.

Junior Sen. Steve Cardona, junior political science major from Abilene, and Senior Sen. Kyle Pickens, senior biology major from Garland, proposed the amendments to reduce the amount of funds given to Swing Cats in order to save money in the Student Request Fund, which has a little more than $5,500 left after Wednesday. Three more groups – Jack Pope Fellows, National Student Speech Language Hearing Association and the Broadcast Education Association – are planning to request money from Congress in the next two meetings.

“This was one of the most efficient meetings we’ve had,” Hemphill said. “I thought Congress members did a good job of being frugal with the money that we have.”