Changing of the Guard
Student Government elections wrapped up last week, and some changes will be seen in the Undergraduate Student Senate.
Senior Omar Bukhari will become student trustee after the current trustee, Heather Dawood, graduates this semester. The race was a close one, as Bukhari beat his nearest contender, freshman Fritz Hyppolite, by only five votes.
“I feel highly honored to be the trustee for the upcoming school year,” stated Bukhari. “And I hope that I am able to carry out my duties with the same dedication as the previous trustees.” Senator Bukhari is currently the Chair of the Budget and Finance Committee.
“Though I did not get elected to the trustee position I think it says a great deal that I lost the election by five votes,” Campus and Community Affairs Chair Hyppolite said.
“I came on board a very disorganized and undisciplined senate body that was under serious scrutiny and played a major role, if not the biggest, in revitalizing and redeeming it into a viable and valid organization.”
Coinciding with the elections, President Joseph Panciotti stepped down at the last senate meeting. Vice President Tuan Pham will be acting president until the next elections.
“It certainly is a very honorable position, to be in charge of the senate and be the main representative of the student body,” acting President Pham said after the meeting. “In addition, I look forward to developing a relationship with the Greater Boston community – especially the non-profit and public organizations.”
Former President Joe Panciotti stated he would be happy to answer any questions regarding his departure from the Student Senate.
Senator Bryan Smith will be running for the position of Board of Higher Education Representative in the coming weeks.
Fund Times Ahead
The African Hut Club received $7,764 to hold “African Nite,” which will be held May 3 in the Snowden Auditorium at 5pm. African Nite includes a professional dance troupe, food, and a professional comedian.
$1,650 was awarded to SAYA for their Year End Semi-Formal 2003. Tickets are free and are required for advance reservation. The event will take place in the Faculty Club on the eleventh floor of Healey Library, Friday, April 28, from 7-11pm.
The Student Senate awarded the Chess club $1,651.92 to participate in a tournament held at Foxwoods Casino. Five students will be sent to the tournament, which will be held from April 18-20. A prior concern that the requested funding would not arrive in time to pay for the fees associated with going to the tournament was resolved in time for last week’s meeting.
The Academic Integrity Club was awarded $640 for the purchase of “The Fundamental Values of Academic Integrity,” a brochure that the club will be distributing throughout campus in their efforts to promote academic integrity. The logistics will be announced in the future.
$6,150 will be used by the SAEC, in conjunction with the Asian Center, to host a trip to Six Flags New England. For the super price of $25 a ticket, students receive the “Superman All-Day Feast” package and a roundtrip bus ride. One hundred tickets for the trip will be sold at the office of Student Life and the trip itself will be held Saturday, May 3, from 9:00am-noon. If only Superman had a super sense of business, he’d vanquish Lex Luthor once and for all…
The Kung-Fu Club acquired (nonviolently) $320.50 to host a wellness seminar on April 16 in the Wheatley Lounge. The goal of the seminar is “to create a greater self-awareness of personal health among the student body,” according to the Kung-Fu Club’s proposal.
$350 was awarded to the Students with Disabilities Center to go towards the purchase of four specialized recording devices for the blind and dyslexic.
$575 was awarded towards Friends of MassPIRG for a beach cleanup on Thompson Island as part of Earth Week. The date of the event will be April 25 and there will be a boat chartered from the UMB’s Division of Marine Operations to take participants to the island in Boston Harbor.
The SAEC obtained $12,770 with which to operate “Senior Week,” a weeklong event devoted towards showing UMass Boston’s appreciation for its graduating students. Our seniors will be treated to Red Sox tickets, Boston Pops tickets, and a clambake.