The Student Senate began its final meeting of the fall semester by approving the allocation of $1,667.50 to go the Student Entertainment Committee.
The funding comes in the form of a travel and lodging contingency grant to help send three SEC members to the National Association of Campus Activities National Convention, in Baltimore, Maryland.
The conference allows attendents to partake in different showcases, educational sessions, and talk with agencies directly to get lower prices for events. Brittany Murtaugh, advisor to the SEC said that sending members to the event would provide them with ways to improve the management and leadership within SEC.
Senate also discussed a capital improvement bill that would give a $20,000 gift to the Memorial Union to purchase new furniture within the third floor “airport lounge.”
This past June, the Union was looking to purchase new furniture as the lounge is frequently used by students, visitors and staff. The Union had $20,000 to spend by June 30, and furniture was bought as part of a $88,000 renovation to the Union. Furniture was bought based on polling done by Shaun Minor, who is part of the Operations staff of the Union.
Many Senators saw this as giving away money without the consent of the student body, as well as paying for something that had already been bought. The Senate majority was also concerned with the polling methods, which included leading questions and was asked to anyone in the lounge, not strictly students. The bill did not pass.
Senate also voted on a loan grant to the Club Sports and Intramural Council, or CSIC, to purchase a new truck. The current truck is falling apart due to its age, and a newer truck would be beneficial to all sports under CSIC. This truck, which would primarily be used for the towing of boats for the URI Club Rowing team, would be purchased by CSIC depending on whether or not they received the loan from the Senate. Anderson noted that CSIC will have to pay interest if they go to a bank for the loan. The loan is a grand total of $30,000 which would be paid off over a period of five years with CSIC paying $6,000 a year. The Senate can make the truck a “frozen” asset if CSIC misses a payment. Senate voted in favor of this bill.