Senate approves $140,000 budget, allocates additional $1,000 to ‘Release’

Student Senate unanimously voted to approve the Senate Finance Committee’s recommended allocations of $140,000 in student activity funds for the 2011-12 academic year.

The senate also allocated $1,000 to Marty Lastovica, junior of Omaha, to cover additional production costs for Release, a live music and arts revue planned for April.

CAB previously allocated $2,000 to Lastovica after his request at its Jan. 25 meeting. Lastovica said Monday he miscalculated the initial budget, and the event is now over budget by $500. Lastovica requested the additional $1,000 as a “safety blanket,” but said he would settle for $500.

Lastovica said this will be the program’s fifth year. Last year, Release drew 600 people from the campus and the community. Lastovica said the show brings people together though the arts.

About 25 artists are slated to perform at Release 7:30 p.m. April 30 in Memorial Hall.

In another matter, Trevor Dietrich, student trustee, said Gov. Dave Heineman named Riley Machal as CSC student trustee for the 2011-2012 school year following last week’s NSCS board of trustees meeting at Peru State College.

Jacob Karmazin, senate president, proposed a revised amendment to election procedures. Karmazin proposed the amendment last week but it was tabled for further consideration. The senate unanimously approved the revised amendment, which takes effect Friday.

The change moves senate elections to the third Wednesday in September each fall semester and the third Wednesday in February each spring semester.

The amendment also changes the petition process for filling vacant senate seats. Under the current procedure, petitions are voted on at the meeting after they are submitted. Under the new rules, petitions will be held until after elections and only considered if vacancies remain.

Karmazin said he hopes the changes encourage more candidates to run in the elections so the student body has greater choice in who is on the senate.