Nearly every seat of the Joslin Senate Chamber on Tuesday was filled for a meeting that included the election of three positions for Miami University’s Associated Student Government (ASG) and the approval of the fall internal operating budget.
To start the meeting, Secretary of the Treasury Venus Harvey presented ASG’s internal operating budget. More than $73,000 was approved for the fall semester, but not without questioning from the floor.
Senator Dominic Roeder questioned the spending budget in comparison to the $36 million budget deficit that Miami is currently facing.
Roeder went on to say that with multiple humanities majors facing major changes, ASG should think more about its spending and send the unused ASG funds back to the university.
“We are here for the students,” Roeder said. “Does anyone remember reading the paper last year, we’re presented with a $36 million deficit as a university. So while I appreciate the secretary's notion that if we don't spend it, it goes away, we have an operating budget of almost a million dollars.”
Harvey and faculty adviser Scott Walter explained that the funds given to ASG are in a completely different category than those going to university academics. The unused funds by ASG are taken out of its budget for the next year, but they are not allocated to academics.
The budget was passed with 35 “yes” votes out of the 38 present senators.
Elections
Junior senators Ryan Parker and Caitlin Spyra were elected to the Student Life Council in an uncontested election. Both senators ran to improve life on campus, especially in dorms.
“I'm concerned about dorm environments and how [the council] can help with that,” Spyra said. “In particular, I've been doing some research into the temperature controls in the dorms and how it affects how people rest.”
Sophomores Jackson Abram and Anastastajia Mladenovska were elected to the Steering Committee in an election that featured five separate senators. The senators running expressed their desire to help legislation on its way through ASG.
“I want to look at the different perspectives and work with other people and collaborate on how we look at legislation,” Mladenovska said.
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Sophomore Lily Wahl was elected as the director of community engagement after a presentation that highlighted the future of connections between student organizations and ASG.
“I want to explore deeper connections with student organizations and form a toolkit for all of you to better engage with the people around you,” Wahl said.
The next ASG meeting is at 6 p.m. on Oct. 3 in the Joslin Senate Chamber.
ASG Members Mladenovska and Wahl are staff members of The Miami Student.
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