Bringing down the gavel with a bang, another Student Senate meeting begins with President Luke Perry’s call to attention.

Working together to keep Shippensburg University running, the senators of Student Senate make up a group of committees that handle communication, finance, campus events and public relations.
This past week, Michelle Bradley and Dominic Giovanniello were elected by the students of SU to join the ranks of Student Senate.

There are two senators for each class at SU in addition to a senator for non-traditional students. Every college is represented in Student Senate, as well as Multicultural Student Affairs, Resident Hall Association, Greek life and athletics.

Among the numerous committees that make Student Senate go, the Budget and Finance Committee is responsible for every cent of the $4 million budget.

Every other Thursday, student representatives from various organizations come to the public Student Senate meetings in Room 119 of the Ceddia Union Building (CUB), often times to request an allocation of funds or to report spending.

On Sept. 19, the Student Senate amended the legislation regarding mailbox keys for campus organizations. The previous policy said that organizations received a $10 fine for mailbox keys returned late. A 2 percent reduction in the organization’s budget was issued if a key was lost or stolen. However, the new policy states that any senate-recognized campus organization will be fined $10 and receive a 2 percent budget reduction if a mailbox key is lost, stolen or returned late.
On Sept. 17, a motion was approved to allow the use of conference funds totaling $8,057.36 for the Activities Program Board for their trip to National Association for Campus Activities’ regional conference in Buffalo, N.Y.

The SU women’s soccer team received an allocation of $7,770 for their trip to Costa Rica, where the team will compete on an international level. The additional funds will help offset the $61,800 needed for the trip.

When the Student Senate is not voting on matters of budget and finance, the Public Relations Committee strives to control transparency and communications affairs. The senators serving in public relations oversee every event from ice cream socials to SU’s presence in the community.
On Sept. 10, the Public Relations Student Society of America’s (PRSSA) request for funds was awarded in the amount of $2,000 to cover the majority of costs associated with the PRSSA national conference in Philadelphia, Pa.

The Student Group and Activities Committee controls the creation of campus organizations, defines and recognizes groups as campus clubs, sports, club sports or intramural sports. As a result, this committee is involved in many facets of campus life.

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