ASUSU meets for the first time in the new semester
In Wednesday’s ASUSU executive council meeting, council members reconvened and provided updates on some of last semester’s on-going projects.
Executive vice president Brent Crosby reported the new USU iPhone application was up and running and that he had downloaded it to his phone.
“It works great,” he said.
PR Director Lacey Nagao said the USU “app” board would meet next week to discuss phase two of the plan, which she said should include the release of the android version of the application.
Crosby announced he will be meeting with new Utah State lobbyist Neil Abercrombie to make the final decision on which issue the university will lobby for at the Utah congress this year.
Crosby also said he hopes to make the traditional Aggie Ice Cream handout at the capitol an official university event. In the past, student lobbyists have handed out ice cream at the capitol in order get congresspeople’s attention, he said. He hopes that in the future, President Albrecht may be able to attend the hand-out to draw more attention to USU and raise awareness of the university’s needs.
President Tyler Tolson announced the bill to eliminate the CIL test requirement to graduate had passed faculty senate on Monday. He said the higher administration is currently discussing the option of letting students choose to include the CIL testing on their graduation transcripts.
Tolson also said he had just seen initial stages of architectural drawings and space studies for the proposed student recreation center (tentatively named Aggie Recreation and Community Center, or ARCC) which were presented to vice president for student services James Morales and campus recreation director Kevin Kobe on Monday.
Athletics vice president Alex Putnam named the USU men’s basketball team as the “USU Hot Team of the Week as awarded by Alex Putnam.” He also announced the USU “Sports Week,” had been postponed until February, and he would be moving to change the name to “HURD Week” and collaborate with the student club to plan activities for it.
Student advocate Dan Ricks said the student fee board would be meeting Jan. 27 to vote on changes proposed by various institutions on campus. The student fee board consists of ASUSU adviser Linda Zimmerman, assistant vice president for student services Eric Olsen, Morales, and roughly 20 students, Ricks said. After the fee board has voted on the student fee increase proposals, they will forward their recommendations to Albrecht.
Each year different organizations around campus, such as the library, the Aggie Shuttle and athletics may submit requests to raise student fees in order to cover their expenses. When an organization submits a request to raise the current fee appropriated to them, the request is processed by the student fee board. When an organization submits a request for an entirely new fee, such as the $65 athletics fee last year, the entire student body must vote on it. Ricks said usually about two-thirds of the requested funding from any given organization is granted.
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