With unanimous approval from the senators, undeclared freshman Susan Shauger took over the last open spot on the ASUO Student Senate on Wednesday.
“I have a lot of friends who are undeclared,” Shauger said. “And even though they don’t know what they want to do, they still need to have a voice on how our money is spent.”
Vice President Holly Magner strongly supported Shauger, who worked as a University affairs intern in the ASUO office last term.
“She’s done wonderful, wonderful things for our office,” Magner said.
Student Senate President Peter Watts added that Shauger is a committed and organized person.
“She clearly cares about student government and wants to be involved,” he said.
The senate also confirmed senior math major Ken Best to the ASUO Elections Board voter education position — a position that had been filled two weeks ago but has since been vacated.
Best, who was Elections Coordinator last year, is joining the board just weeks before the primary election.
“I think I can help the process move a little more efficiently in the time we have,” Best said. “I’ve been there.”
In other business, the senators were closely divided when they voted to turn down a $3,107 request from the United States Student Association for an upcoming legislative conference in Washington, D.C.
Forced to abstain were the senators who applied to go to the conference. With a total of five abstaining, the request narrowly failed by a vote of 5-6.
The funds were for travel expenses, ASUO Federal Affairs Coordinator Kawezya Hutchinson explained. Because the USSA isn’t getting the money, it may only be able to send 5 to 8 students instead of the 12 it had originally hoped for, she said.
And at the end of the night, an old issue revisited the senate.
When the senate approved a request from the Returning Student Association two weeks ago, it allowed the group to use one of its students’ stipends to pay two other non-stipend students positions. Throughout the hearing, Watts argued that doing so was against an agreement between the senate and the Programs Finance Committee not to create any new stipend positions this year while it implements a new stipend model.
It turned out that the RSA’s recorder had actually been receiving the monthly stipend meant to pay for the two positions, and the request didn’t go through.
As a result, the RSA will have to come before the senate again with a revised request that takes into account the new information. At that time, the senate decided, it will deal with the complexities of the issue.
Senate appoints open seats, discusses stipends
Daily Emerald
February 7, 2001
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