Four new class officer positions were created by the Class Officer Revision Bill at last week's Student Government Association (SGA) meeting.
The bill, introduced by Mollie Seiferas, vice president of Student Services, makes all class councils the same by adding a treasurer to the freshman, sophomore and junior classes, as well as a secretary to the senior class.
"As the treasurer for all of SGA, I think things would run more smoothly (with the new positions)," Blair Gumnic, vice president of administration and finance, said. The addition of treasurers is intended to help the classes organize fundraisers before senior year.
Stephanie Cwynar, freshman class vice president, said that a new class officer would be welcome because "three people are not enough to handle activities."
Lori Winyard, director of Energy and Central Utilities, came as a guest speaker to tell SGA about energy conservation planning on campus.
"The energy budget is in a deficit," Winyard said. "We don't want to get deeper into the deficit."
She reported six percent reductions in electrical energy usage in December and 12 percent reductions in January. She also said that her office is exploring possibilities of a larger or more powerful power plant.
The National Student Speech, Learning and Hearing Association, a club for graduate students only, is seeking formal recognition from SGA. The club needs accreditation by the College so that the "members will get steep discounts on professional licenses," Tom Sales, senator of Culture and Society, said.
"We don't have the capacity to approve this club," Kevin Kelly, vice president of legal and governmental affairs, said. He said that SGA represents undergraduates and that it can't approve a graduate club. "It's no one's job, so (the College) is just making us do it," Sales said.
During open floor, Dan Beckelman, associate member, proposed a resolution to complain that liberal learning does not promote diversity and that it results in students falling behind in their major coursework. Annelise Catanzaro, executive president, said that SGA will not make a resolution.
The Attendance Policy Revision Bill, proposed by Eric Pasternack, junior class vice president, also passed at the meeting. Under the bill, the executive vice president can grant appeals to SGA members who missed meetings due to academic responsibilities, such as student teaching and internships.
"Our first responsibility is to the students and to our own academics," Pasternack said.
Leo Inglima, vice president of Equity and Diversity, asked for help in writing a letter to The Signal, asking "them to require their journalists to be more professional." He said that a lot of material in The Signal seems to be hyped-up tabloid journalism.
Two new associate members were approved and sworn in at the meeting: Elizabeth Stamler, freshman criminology and justice studies major, and Sharon Tharp, sophomore journalism major.
The dates for online voting for the next academic year's SGA members were changed from April 13 and 14 to April 11 and 12, because the previous dates coincide with the religious holidays of Passover and Good Friday.
