Resignations and Removals
Two student senators were let go from the senate due to lack of attendance, and two others have resigned.
Vice President Tuan Pham, in an early release of his report to the Student Senate, stated that Richard Bell and Tonya-Adams Samuels both were ejected for missing two meetings in a row. Nathan Chang gave a verbal resignation to the vice president late last semester, and Robert Comerford has resigned for an internship with the Massachusetts District Attorney.
Vice President Pham has resigned from the Elections Ad-Hoc Committee, in an apparent sign that he will be running for office again in the upcoming April elections.
Requests for Funding
The Students Events and Organizations Committee met last Thursday and approved the appropriation of $5000 to the Physics Club, for their April trip to the Aricebo Radio Telescope in San Juan, Puerto Rico, “to visit, tour, and learn about the world’s largest telescope,” according to the request form. The trip is open to all UMB students via lottery. The motion passed, 3-0.
A request of $18,575 for the Black Student Center’s upcoming Fashion Show was passed with a 2-0 margin, with Senator Robert Comerford abstaining.
In a meeting of Budget & Finance the day before Golden Key International Honour Society requested $1165.65 for a Golden Key regional conference at Queens College, New York. Seven members are coming from Golden Key, four non-Golden Key students are to be picked from each college, by a filtering system overseen by one student senate member, one person from Student Life, and one from Golden Key. The purpose of the conference is “to sharpen listening skills, meet with other GK chapters, and to acquire knowledge that can help improve our chapter and help us better impact the UMass community,” read the request form.
The Queer Student Union is requesting $3,400 for a speaker and a documentary film presentation on hate crimes in the United States. The April event is co-sponsored by the Women’s Center, Casa Latina, Haitian American Society, and the Black Student Center.
All funding requests will be brought before the full senate for a vote this week.
Radio Free UMB
Vice President Pham reports that he has begun initial discussions with Mark Schlesinger, the Communications Director, about a student radio station. The vice president has been pursuing the matter since late last semester, believing that since the university is building a campus center and dorms, there is a need to provide more student support services. “The student radio station is the way to go,” said Vice President Pham at a recent senate meeting. “We’re not just benefiting the students, we’re benefiting the university as well.”
Roll Call
Senator Jesse Solomon is in the process of creating a template for roll call votes, so when the senate votes on motions, the votes are officially on the public record. “I believe the importance of having an official roll call made public is three-fold,” said Senator Solomon. “First reason is that it will give students greater awareness that there is a senate in the first place, cause a lot of students don’t even know we exist. Second of all, it will provide students specific information as to what the senate is voting on, which is important because the issues that the senate votes on or chooses not to support are issues that directly affect students because we’re using their fees.” Third is “greater accountability,” says Senator Solomon, so the senators could represent the colleges that they’re elected from.