At the beginning of each Student Association meeting, the secretary of finance stands up and announces to those in attendance the amount left in the general reserves, which currently stands at $18,119.26.
According to current secretary of finance Meghan Cary and newly-elected SA president Trevin Schmidt, one of the main functions of the general reserve is to help clubs that overshoot their budget or for newly formed clubs on campus. Another function for the general reserve is to provide funding for extra events or activities for the school.
However, April 23 is the final day for the SA and the student body to spend the general reserve money. Whatever money is left within this reserve gets reabsorbed by the school.
This upcoming SA meeting on Tuesday, April 20 will be the final day in which students can propose to the senate different ways that the SA can or should spend the money in the general reserve. During the open forum section of Tuesday’s meeting, the student body has the opportunity to pitch ideas on where or how to spend what’s left of the general reserve. This is the same opportunity that the student body has had all year.
“For the most part, when people present an idea to the senate, it’s with some type of visual aid like a PowerPoint presentation on what and how they wish to spend the money that they ask for,” Cary said.
With very few weekends left of the spring 2010 semester and P-Day rapidly approaching, students have one final opportunity to put their twist on what can be considered the most popular weekend on campus. One last chance to have a say in what will and what will not happen the rest of the school year.
Students can propose a variety of things: from more activities for P-Day to necessities in the classroom. The type of event or specific item that is proposed isn’t important. What’s important is that this opportunity is what can help the SA and the student body reconnect in order to improve the student life on campus.
In last week’s editorial, we suggested bridging the communication gap between the students and the SA. The dissatisfaction from the student body concerning some of the events that had been planned was very clear, especially concerning the recent spring concert featuring Third Eye Blind. The Defender reported on the anti-Third Eye Blind Facebook group that expressed its frustration on the part of the student body for the selection of the band. A frustration that wasn’t demonstrated until after the entire process was completed.
The pattern of complaints received from the student body seems to be on a delay. This delay is a direct result from the apathy shown towards the SA by the majority of the undergraduates at St. Michael’s College.
By overlooking this final opportunity, this last chance for the student body to truly have a say in the end of this spring semester, any form of complaint can and should be met with the same type of reaction: silence.
|
