Without debate, the Student Government Student Senate approved next year’s $116,000 budget Tuesday night in an “extraordinary” session. The two-hour meeting was called after Wednesday’s session ended before passing the 2007-2008 budget. The first order of business was the budget at Tuesday’s meeting and passed with no questions from the Senate. Though the purpose of the session was to approve the budget, the majority of the meeting members debated whether the senate should approve the executive appointment of Thomas Cook as assistant director of campus development. Members of the Temporary Rules Committee, who interviewed the executive appointments, said Cook appeared before them unprepared and argued the Senate should not approve the appointment. “I feel strongly that we should vote no on this one,” said Sen. Ben Clark, University College Center for Freshman Year, and Temporary Rules Committee member. Past executive positions, appointed by the SG president, once received salaries paid by student fees. These positions required approval by the Senate. Now that nearly all executive positions are unpaid, many no longer need Senate approval. President Cassie Alsfeld said the executive staff presented Cook before the Senate as a show of good faith and urged them to endorse his appointment. “I put all of my faith in Thomas,” Alsfeld said. “Pass him favorably.” The Senate voted to approve Cook’s appointment. Cook, agricultural business senior, said he was pleased with the outcome. “I signed up just to help, not to go through all this,” Cook said of the hour-long process. “I feel it needed to be done, but I thought it was a little ridiculous.” The Senate approved more of Alsfeld’s appointments by passing four executive orders concerning committee positions. The Senate also passed two bills to provide $87,561 to the Student Government Newspaper Initiative. This initiative purchases and distributes copies of The Advocate, The New York Times, The Financial Times and USA Today across campus. Two legislative orders by Speaker Colorado Robertson were passed. The first established Senate committee positions until the fall legislative session. The second appointed two members to the Campus Bus Route Task Force. The session also included two resignations. Sen. Melinda Rome, College of Agriculture, and Sen. Neal Hebert, Graduate School, both had resignations approved by the Senate.
—–Contact Daniel McBride at [email protected]