Each week the Undergraduate Student Government meets in the Student Activites Center. Mike Cusanelli will be attending each meeting bringing the most important news to Stony Brook University students.
New PPT elected to USG board
Senator Priya Sohi, a senior biology major, was nominated and unanimously elected President Pro Tempore (PPT) of Undergraduate Student Government on Aug. 30. Sohi has been a member of USG for three years. As PPT, she will be responsible for running USG meetings in the absence of the executive vice president.
Responsible Hall Council Funding Act repealed
USG senators drafted and unanimously passed a repeal to the Responsible Hall Council Funding Act of 2011, which had placed more spending power in the hands of the Residence Hall Association. According to the repeal act, the 2011 act has created more work for both the RHA and the USG fiscal agent.
The act’s repeal will make the RHA a direct pay organization, reducing the overall workload for both parties. Almost 200 students signed a petition to repeal the act.
TLT reforms printing at SINC Sites on West Campus
Cover pages will no longer be printed for students at West Campus SINC Sites, according to Diana Voss, the manager of instructional technology support at Teaching and Learning Technology.
TLT changed its pricing policy after reviewing a recent student survey in which students overwhelmingly said that the cover pages were wasteful.
In addition to the elimination of cover pages, students will now receive a flat-rate balance of 280 pages, or $14 a week for printing, which will begin on Mondays and end on Sunday evenings.
Students can use their printing quota by swiping their student ID cards at any West Campus SINC Site printing station.
“We adjusted the student survey and actually did something about what the students [complained] about,” Voss said.
TLT is currently working to unify the printing process on both campuses. The senate voted to postpone any further decisions on the new printing quota until more information was available.
Special Services Council Bylaws are passed
USG Treasurer Allen Abraham outlined the features of the proposed Special Services Council Bylaws, which aim to properly manage the amount of money given to student-run clubs.
Under the new bylaws, new student clubs that apply for USG funding are placed on a one-year probationary period before they are able to receive minimal funding from USG. After clubs have completed the mandatory waiting period, they are then eligible for funding.
The proposed bylaws were met with moderate criticism from several USG senators, many of which felt that the new process was unfair.
“My goal is not to make clubs fail,” Abraham said. “My goal is to make sure the ones that put in the time and effort succeed.”
After a long debate, the senators voted to pass the new bylaws by a vote of 17-5.
“USG is not a piggybank,” Abraham said. “We have a limited amount of money. We have to draw the line at some point.”
According to Abraham, clubs who have already completed the previous SSC requirements will be grandfathered in so as to avoid the new club probationary period.