The Student Government Undergraduate Senate elected four committee chairs during its Nov. 10 meeting.
These committees included:
- Finance
- Campus Life
- University and Academic Affairs
- Communications, Outreach, Programming and Services
Class of 2016 Senator Alex Bradley, a sophomore in the School of Public Affairs, was elected as the chairman for the Special Committee on Finance. The Senate also chose the six members to fill the committee, which oversees SG’s $630,000 annual budget.
Senators were also nominated and subsequently elected to three other committees:
- Class of 2017 senator Bill Kakenmaster, a freshman in the School of International Service, was elected chairman of the Committee on Campus Life
- Class of 2016 senator Molly Kepner, a SPA sophomore, was elected as chair of Committee on University and Academic Affairs
- Class of 2017 senator William McNamera, a SPA freshman, was elected as the chairman of the Committee on Communications, Outreach, Programming and Services.
The Senate also sent the bill Extension and Enumeration of the Rights of Students, which clearly outlines the distinct rights of AU students, to the Committee on University and Academic Affairs.
The bill, strongly supported by SG President Pat Kelly, specifically refers to free expression, due process, equal accessibility and student voice as basic rights that all students should be guaranteed as part of the University, according to the official bill.
SG has also created a change.org petition to send to AU President Neil Kerwin for students to sign in support of the bill. As of Nov. 12, the petition has 167 supporters.
Kelly said the statement of student rights and responsibilities is necessary because there is not an easily accessible outline of rights for AU students.
“We should have the ability to see what is expected of us as a school,” Kelly said. “I think its important to know those basic principles that we are awarded as students.”
kmagill@theeagleonline.com
