The first Undergraduate Student Government Senate meeting for the spring semester revealed that applications are being accepted for seats of College of Arts and Sciences Senator. Those interested in a position should submit an application by 5 p.m. on Feb. 11 to [email protected] or on ZebraNet.

Professor Eduardo Mendieta attended the meeting to present MOOC— Massive Open Online Courses. With a task force charged by the Provost to explore options for the future of online courses at Stony Brook, students are highly encouraged to provide input and feedback at a town hall meeting to be held at 1 p.m. on Feb. 13 in the Wang Center Theater.

Mendieta described MOOCs as a way for students to “get ahead” and that such courses have the potential to “go global” through its open access.  These online courses have been found at other institutions such as Harvard and MIT.

More information about MOOCs can be found at stonybrook.edu/onlinelearning or by emailing [email protected].

As for other reasons to hold town hall meetings, senators suggested talks regarding Stony Brook’s tobacco policy, concern over the condition on campus roads for commuters, access to contraceptives and sustainability on campus. If any of these meetings are to be held, information on time and location will be posted around campus as well as on the USG website.

At the meeting it was apparent how Hurricane Sandy affected budget spending for some campus clubs, as events had to be cancelled or moved around.