By Kelsi Peace, Managing Editor
Congress checked on the progress of last semester’s legislation, reviewed the new budgetary guidelines and appointed new representatives and a chief communications officer at the first meeting of the semester on Wednesday.
Senior senator Brandon Smith told Congress that after last semester’s legislation requesting access to student e-mails for SA’s constituent relations survey, he still has not received the information he needs. Sophomore senator Jessie Lozano said her resolution to extend curfew in sophomore halls has not received confirmation from Residence Life. However, she said, John Delony confirmed the department was reviewing the policy.
Treasurer Kevan Kirksey presented the revised budgetary standards to Congress, a criteria that reduced the 10-point list to four, in an effort to provide more flexibility with the budget.
“It’s definitely a good thing,” Kirksey said.
Kirksey said he hopes to free up funds to better support service-oriented organizations.
According to the new principles, SA will fund up to $65 per night for hotels, $50 per day for an eight-passenger van, $85 per day for a 15- passenger van and 75 percent of registration fees and chapter dues. All other requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Kirksey also created a student requestfund, where organizations with more extravagant costs, such as airfare, can request support. These requests must be made before Congress.
“It’s forcing groups to be more proactive,” Kirksey said. “They have to come before all of you.”
Congress unanimously approved the appointment of Stephanie Stryhal, sophomore accounting major from Plainfield, Ill., as Barret Hall Representative; Stephanie Jarvis, senior political science major from Georgetown, as off-campus representative and Rebekah Bynum, freshman political science major from Coronado, Calif., as the Administration Building representative.
Congress unanimously approved appointing Kelly Dennis, senior major from Houston, to chief communications officer after Isaac Vasquez graduated last semester. Dennis will upload the Web site Vasquez created to the new server when it becomes available.
Kirksey will present the spring budget to Congress for approval Wednesday.
