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ASUSU cuts academic senate position

ADDISON HALL, staff writer

ASUSU will cut a position for fiscal and consolidation reasons next year.
   
As of the 2013-2014 school year, the academic senate president position will not longer exist.
   
Jordan Hunt, the current academic senate president, said the change was made by last year’s executive council in order to organize ASUSU. He said the change would better define the roles of each member in the executive council.
   
“They’re just consolidating the roles of mine, Ben’s and Christian’s,” Hunt said. “We just felt like there’s a lot of overlap so we could better serve students and cut costs a little bit.”
   
He said the cut makes sense but is still a loss to the council.
   
“I would like to see another position created in its place,” he said. “I think we should be creating student involvement and I think that getting rid of a position is a problem because that position is an opportunity.”
   
ASUSU President Christian Thrapp said the executive vice-president will be put in charge of  academic senate and student fees. The government relations council will be headed by the student advocate, where the executive vice-president was previously in charge.
   
Thrapp said there will be a big loss because of the cut but also a reduction in ASUSU costs and tuition fees.
   
“In a sense, it is taking a leadership position away, but it is also saving money,” Thrapp said.
   
Thrapp said he is looking for new ways to add another member to the executive council but no formal plans have been made.

– addison.m.t.hall@gmail.com