Student Government is working toward putting student fees back in the hands of the students. A new Resolution authored by Drew Prestridge, SG speaker pro tempore, Sen. Greg Upton, College of Business, and Sen. Chris Sellers, University College Center for Freshman Year, will create the Temporary Student Initiative Committee — a group of SG Senators who will collect ideas from students and ultimately implement a student driven initiative funded by SG.Prestridge said the idea came from looking at other universities, such as Yale, who have implemented similar ideas. The Daily Reveille’s editorial board suggested a similar idea Aug. 25 in the first staff edit published this semester. “It’s a way for students to have more of a say in how their fees are spent,” Prestridge said. “Students feel a disconnect from Student Government, but this is a way for them to have their voices heard.”One example Senators have mentioned as possible ideas include putting more bike racks on campus, should students suggest such an idea.The Senate unanimously approved the Resolution at the Senate meeting Wednesday night. The Senate will now elect five Senators to stand on the committee. These Senators will begin collecting ideas from students via Facebook or PAWS, Prestridge said. Prestridge said the timeline for the entire initiative is not set, but the members of the committee will eventually narrow the list of ideas down to 10. The Senate will vote on these initiatives and three will be placed on the spring 2009 SG ballot for students to select.The implementation and execution of the initiative will be completed by the end of spring 2009 or, at the latest, fall 2009, according to the Resolution.After the student-selected initiative is approved, SG will fund the program — the resolution does not specify a maximum dollar value allowed for the initiative. Upton said he plans to create more initiatives similar to the one passed to “give students a say in Student Government.”The Senate also unanimously approved SG President Colorado Robertson’s appointment of Maggie Placer, animal science senior, as assistant director of Athletics. Sen. Amanda Gammon, Arts and Sciences, announced the College of Arts and Sciences has hired two additional counselors. “If you’ve ever tried to meet with a counselor, you know how much of a big deal this is,” Gammon said. —-Contact Katie Kennedy at [email protected]