Senate Finance, Food Permits, and SAO Drama

Last night’s meeting kicked off the Senate Finance Committee, and after only about an hour, I was left wanting for more. There’s something magical about SA after dark. Maybe it’s the empty union, or the intensity of seeing your peers on campus when you should be home relaxing, but something about nightly meetings really spices things up.

Although I’ve been waiting to begin the SFC process for months, things could have went horribly wrong tonight, as I was stuck at KFC (no that’s not another abbreviation for a committee, it actually is Kentucky Fried Chicken) for about 45 minutes. I thought my roommates and I would have ample time to pick up a doubledown sandwich or two before I had to be on campus, but thanks to a large order, and the slowest service imaginable, I came dangerously close to missing the meeting, and being ejected straight off the committee for good! Thankfully, I made it there just in time, and next time, I’ll make sure to allow more than an hour if I want to get takeaway before a big meeting.

Probably the most interesting point during the meeting was the ineligibility of every resource center, due to the plan to include these together in the Student Life Organizations block. Even though we ruled the Women’s Center, the LGBT Center, etc, ineligible for funding, only because we are going to fund them under a different module, it felt odd equating these important resources with ineligibility. I capped off a day filled with Student Activities Office tension, by being the second to a motion finding the Student Activities Office ineligible for funding, due to it being a duplicate service to the “Office of Student Life,” the new center to be put in place by SFC funding.

As for the tension before last night, yesterday morning I authored a new plan to reorganize food sale permits under the Union Reservation and Event Planning Services Office, instead of the Student Activities Office. This plan also includes an end to the previous “six food permits per zone per semester” policy, and replaces it with an unlimited number of food permits that can be issued, outside of six on campus buildings, instead of the previous zone system. The plan also increases the maximum number of food permits per Student Organization to five per semester, which I’m confident RSO’s will appreciate. Obviously, SAO did not seem pleased. I am awaiting an email from Eric Jessup-Anger and the SAO office, on when a meeting will take place to talk about the proposed changes. The plan already received the support of the Dining Services Committee, and I’m confident it will pass in the Senate. Regardless of SAO’s reservations, these changes will pass, and the students will have victory.

I received some good news yesterday, I am to be the subject of the UWM Post’s second “Know Your Government” senator profile, to be printed in next week’s issue. I’m excited to field some questions from the Post’s SA reporter, and I’m humbled by the honor of being featured in our campus newspaper.

The next SFC meeting is next weekend, and the committee will hear direct presentations from those institutions seeking segregated fee funds, including Athletics, which I’m looking forward to hearing from. I plan on working on legislation to be discussed at the next senate meeting also, including a proposed limit on the number of presentations per senate meeting, and a new procedure for filing complaints to the Union Policy Board.

-Red Menace out.