Senate talks finance, hears about conference

Members of senate discussed the AIPAC conference, budget hearings, and an amendment at their meeting Monday. Morgan Nelson, senate president, and Jacob Rissler, junior senator at large, gave a presentation on their trip to Washington D.C., during midterm break, where they attended the American Israel Public Affairs Committee conference. The conference, which was bipartisan, discussed giving aid to Israel in its conflict with Iran, according to Nelson. Shimon Peres, the Israeli president; Benjamin Netanyahu; the Israeli prime minister; and Barack Obama, U.S. president, were at the conference.

T. J. Thomson, treasurer, said there is $12, 581 in senate’s combined accounts. The Finance Committee met with clubs that requested more than $1,000 last week. Club appeals are April 5. So far, three clubs have requested and been granted appeals, Thomson said.

Nisha Durand, chief justice, said that student senate elections are April 18-19. Petitions are due by 5 p.m., April 6. In order to be on the executive board, a candidate has to have been a senator for one semester. To be the president, a candidate has to have been a senator for a school year.

Tiffani Roelle, junior senator of liberal arts, said the Time Capsule Committee is making final decisions about the contents of the time capsule. Joe Reedy, senator of B.E.A.M.S.S., said the Academic Review Committee is still working on the first year inquiry classes.

Roelle was approved as a full-time senator of liberal arts.

Senate voted on an amendment that would change requirements for senators. The amendment was approved and will go on the ballot at the next student senate election. The amendment would require there to be 1 representative per dorm, three representatives per academic school, and at least one representative at large per every 500 students. Junior senator positions would be eliminated. Instead, students would need to have completed 12 credit hours before attaining voting privileges. Students with fewer than 12 completed credit hours are still eligible to be senators with discussion privileges, just not voting ones.

The Public Relations club requested $1,440 for its Battle of the Bands event. Tiffany Valandra, an officer from the PR club, said that $40 would go toward advertising, $300 would pay for the sound technician, and $1,100 would go toward t-shirts, which have already been ordered through the bookstore. The shirts will be sold at the event for $10 each. In response to this request, Thomson said that there is $1,829.65 in Senate’s allocation from the student activity fee account. He said senate would vote on the allocation next week, after it had been on the agenda for a week.