Plans to adopt an official name for next season’s rivalry football game between Ole Miss and LSU were announced during Wednesday’s Student Senate meeting.
Vice President Josh King said a text messaging campaign called “Name That Rivalry” was launched March 16.
King said the campaign is a joint effort with Ole Miss’ student government. He said it seeks to use student suggestions to choose the name for the game between the Ole Miss Rebels and LSU Tigers.
“The name will come 100 percent from the students,” King said.
Students can text suggestions to (225) 993-8842 or use the online suggestion box on the SG Web site.
King also said the executive staff has been brainstorming ideas to change homecoming. He said a new homecoming committee was recently formed with administrators and a student majority.
King said he wants to use money from the SG Paid Admissions account to enhance homecoming. The account holds $197,000 and has not been accessed since 2004. Students are required to pay $0.40 each semester toward the account.
A senator came forth and alleged a “concerned student” lied to the Senate a few weeks ago, during Public Input.
Sen. Matt McEntire, graduate student in American history, said Daily Reveille columnist Donald Hodge did not tell the truth when he claimed an executive staff member told him to investigate SG expenditures.
According to McEntire, Hodge said former SG adviser and manager Mary James told him to look into SG finances. McEntire said Hodge was wrong in his assertion that James was an executive staff member.
“It was not a member of the executive staff, it was a woman who no longer works at the University,” McEntire said. “His inability to tell the truth, his inability to own up to his mistakes has given this body a black eye.”
The Senate unanimously passed a bill to amend SG bylaws to increase student access to information about vacant SG positions, during unfinished business. The bill, written by Housing, Infrastructure and Technology Committee Chair Andy Palermo, aims to increase student awareness of available SG positions. SG bylaws currently require senators to complete three steps when a position becomes available.
The Senate must send a broadcast e-mail to the SG listserv, post a notification on the SG Web site and post an announcement outside the SG office, under the current requirements.
Palermo, University College for Advising and Counseling, wants to add a fourth step requiring a broadcast e-mail be sent to the entire student body or an advertisement be placed in The Daily Reveille when a position becomes available.
“Part of the reason this body is not as full as it could be is because they may not know about it,” Palermo said. “This bill tries to get more students aware of open SG positions.”
Speaker Pro Tempore Ben Clark withdrew a resolution urging the Office of Parking, Traffic and Transportation fill potholes in the Greek parking lots behind Sorority Row. Clark said the SG department of transportation worked with the parking office this past week to fill the holes.
A resolution was introduced urging the University change the academic calendar, earlier during new business. The resolution aims to make the spring break holiday coincide with other schools in the East Baton Rouge school system.
The resolution was referred to the Committee of Academics, Athletics and Administration. The three senators who wrote the resolution include Sen. Amanda Gammon, College of Arts and Sciences; Sen. Meghan Hanna, Univeristy College for Advising and Counseling; and Sen. Palermo.
Editor’s Note: This is an extended version of the story included in Thursday’s edition.
—-Contact Natalie Messina at [email protected].