The Student Government Association’s meeting on Wednesday, March 1, brought news of another meeting. President Evan Krauss announced final plans for a “town hall” between administrators and students, which he had first proposed in February following student concerns over next year’s 8.5 percent tuition increase.
Krauss announced that the town hall will be held on March 5 at 6 p.m. in the Busch Student Center ballroom. He said that upper-level administrators will be there, including President Lawrence Biondi, S.J., and several vice presidents. The meeting will not be “an attack on the administration,” Krauss said, but an opportunity for dialogue.
“[The meeting will give] students a greater understanding of why and how decisions are made at the University. Hopefully, it will also give administrators a better sense of how students feel about their decisions and about their overall SLU experience,” Krauss said.
In other business, the senate swore in a new member and passed a trio of spot-funding bills-including an allocation of more than $4,000 to Students United for Africa. In addition, Senator Shahida Flores delivered a statement accusing The University News of a lack of professionalism and suggested holding “a vote of no confidence” in the paper.
During open forum, Flores, a junior from the International Student Federation, delivered a statement criticizing the performance of The University News.
She said that the publication had lost its integrity and accountability, becoming a tabloid and not a serious student newspaper. She specifically cited last week’s SGA election endorsements, which she called “vicious attacks against individuals and organizations.”
At the end of her speech, Flores’ call for a better campus newspaper was met by applause from senators. She also said that she was considering bringing legislation for a “vote of no confidence” in The University News.
The senate distributed more than $8,000 in spot funding to three different Chartered Student Organizations at this week’s meeting.
Senators voted to award $4,472.42 to SUFA. The group will use the allocation to finance a charity “dance-a-thon,” co-sponsored by OneWorld, to support a school in West Africa. Specifically, they will spend the money on food, publicity, decorations, entertainment-including “sumo rental” and “calligraphy”-and DJing from KSLU.
The Black Student Alliance, ISF and the Hispanic Leadership Organization are already booked to perform at the event, which will also include various ethnic foods. Organizers say that they hope the dance-a-thon will generate thousands of dollars for charity; they have set a fund-raising goal of $15,000.
SLU’s chapter of Amnesty International, an international human rights organization, received $1,092 in spot funding. Five members of the group will spend the money on registration, transportation and lodging for a trip to their national conference in Milwaukee.
Senators also voted to give $2,630 to SLU Club Baseball. The new CSO, just chartered at last week’s meeting, will use the funds to play in a series at the University of Missouri-Columbia and the University of Kansas.
The senate also added a new member at Wednesday’s meeting. Wesley Taylor, a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences, will represent BSA for the remainder of the year. Taylor fills a vacancy resulting from the resignation of former BSA Senator Daniel Sims.
Senators also passed a resolution, introduced by Executive Vice President Jeff Biger, to declare the beginning of “elections season” for chartered student organizations. He said that he hoped the resolution would encourage CSOs to begin the transition process for next year.
