Senate hosted a shortened 30-minute meeting on Thursday at 11:30 a.m. on Jan. 11 in the Sterling Church Auditorium.
The meeting began with Executive Board Reports with SUUSA President Hayden Carroll’s Student Fee Review Committee. The committee met before the break to quickly introduce themselves and will meet on Jan. 16 to further discuss next year’s fees.
The meetings are open to all students but only those asked may take part.
Vice President of Academics Parker Hess then reported on Midterm Grade Policy change, asking Senate members to continue campaigning for signatures on the petition. The policy change will require all professors to give students midterm grades to make sure they are not falling behind.
The petition has around 800 signatures, but Hess would like a few thousand. Specific numbers were not given.
Hess then asked Senators to check MySUU Voice, as several messages have already been sent to certain Senators this semester. Hess also asked for two volunteers to join a library committee that works with Assistant Professor of History Dave Lunt on coordinating with the library and faculty.
This is a separate committee from the two committees that Hess brought attention to in previous Senate meetings. Education Senator Kirsten Mudrow and Veterans Representative Keith Mason volunteered.
Vice President of Finance D’Mia Lamar gave budget reports for the semester, stating the Senate has spent 51 percent of its budget and urged to the Senate to “keep it up” and continue to stay within budget.
Lamar also reported that 11 students from the Ceramics Guild received $1800 for a conference, but one student dropped out so the Finance Committee would only give $1650.
Vice President of Clubs Jon Baker reported that club presidents’ training will be next Wednesday, on Jan. 17. This training is not mandatory but is highly recommended as Baker will release a new club handbook.
For committee reports, Club and Organizations Committee reported that around 400 people visited the lunch Clubs Fair on Tuesday, and announced that Campus Connect will be on Jan. 31. The theme is entertainment.
Senate did not discuss any old business, and the two points of new business were both brought to Senate by Carroll.
The first is Higher Education Day at the state legislature. 11 schools will attend to lobby before the Utah Senate. Carroll confirmed that he, Diversity and Inclusion Representative Siulia Uele, Humanities and Social Science Senator Grace Schultz, Non-Traditional Representative Deann Ojeda, Club Representative Kolten Pierson, College of Science and Engineering (COSE) Senator Kevin Martin, Hess, Lamar, Mudrow and Mason would be attending.
Carroll also asked for volunteers to attend the Globalization Organization International Training meeting. Upper Division Senator Jeremy Osborne, International Representative Jessica Mancuso, Martin, Lamar and Mason all volunteered to attend that meeting.
Senate held a discussion on Lower Division Senator Vanessa Kirkby’s question about her general education committee and a plea to Senate to discuss with students on feelings towards the general education requirement, and Martin’s issue with lack of classrooms for COSE.
Next week’s Senate meeting will be held in the Charles Hunter Room in the Hunter Conference Center at 11:30 a.m.
Story By
Andrew Leavitt
life@suunews.com