The WKU Student Government Association passed three new bills to increase representation, grow the Borrow-a-Calculator program and provide financial support to Registered Student Organizations at its Oct. 22 meeting.
Resolution 5-24-F asked for SGA support to display the flag of Myanmar on the empty flagpole outside the Mahurin Honors College.
Senator Van Zing, author of the bill, said that this bill came about when several students expressed that there wasn’t a Myanmar flag to represent Burmese and Chin students here on campus.
“These are major reflections of the Honors College and the student body,” said Senator Caden Lucas in a speech of affirmation. “It’s important that we represent that accurately.”
Bill 9-24-F allocated funding to select Registered Student Organizations in SGA’s Organizational Aid Funding for the fall semester.
Taylor worked with the organizational aid board to grade the 58 Organizational Aid applications and they are now finished. This bill is allocating the $10,000 in the budget to the various organizations based on the grade their application received.
SGA distributes $10,000 in the fall and $10,000 in the spring in organizational aid. RSOs can receive up to $500 in total between the two semesters.
Bill 10-24-F allocated an additional $540 to further fund the Borrow-a-Calculator Program.
Senator Kaison Barton wants to supply the program with five more TI-84 calculators. According to Barton, the program has seen much success this semester, with 28 calculators having been borrowed.
The program works by letting students borrow a calculator for a week at a time, with students easily being able to go back and rent it out week to week.
If students are interested, they can stop by the SGA front desk in Downing Student Union 2045, Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
All the bills were passed unanimously.
Two appointments were also made during the meeting.
During the meeting, Student Body President Sam Kurtz also appointed freshman Emaun Riley to be the Intercultural Student Engagement Center senator. Mahurin Honors College Senator Caden Lucas was also appointed as the senate’s parliamentarian.
The legislative body has been given $10,705 this academic year in discretionary spending. So far they have spent $2,312.68 of that budget.
“You guys are well on pace,” said Chief Financial Officer Ethan Taylor. “Say, hypothetically, all the bills on new business and unfinished business get passed, they would have a request of $4002.68.”
According to Taylor, this leaves $6702.32 remaining for the academic year for SGA to distribute.
News Reporter Bradlee Reed-Whalen can be reached at [email protected].
