Jason Mann

Students’ Association has hit the ground running after conducting its first two meetings of the academic year on Sept. 3 and Sept. 10.

The Sept. 3 meeting was filled with reports on the progress made by various committees throughout the summer. The technology committee structure has been set at four students, one of which will chair the committee, and three faculty members. Progress on creation of the internship coordinator position has hit a snag with the Deans’ Council; SA President Alex Brown said that senators involved in the project need to make it clear to faculty that the internship coordinator would have no authority to alter criteria needed by a student for an internship that is a graduation requirement.

“He or she would simply try to find the best internship opportunities,” said Brown.

The transit study SA requested during the last academic year was completed during the summer, but Brown decided that the $2 per credit hour increase in student fees the study said would be required to make on-campus transportation improvements was too much. SA is waiting for the City of Brookings to get the results back from a transit study they requested before taking any action in this area.

Brown reported that construction of the Wellness Center is going “quickly and smoothly.” He also said that construction of the climbing wall has been pushed up so the building can be enclosed sooner than scheduled.

At the Sept. 10 meeting President David Chicoine spoke, answering any questions senators had for him about the university. Senators asked him about several topics, including his five-year plan for SDSU, the possibility of a mandatory laptop program, using renewable energy on campus and his recent announcement of a fundraising campaign that will begin in 2009 to raise $100 million for scholarships, faculty programs, building repair and other discretionary resources. Chicoine spoke about SDSU’s leadership role in the South Dakota public university system. Chicoine also touched on future projects that SDSU will work with both the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology and the University of South Dakota to complete.

SA had little to report on at the Sept. 10 meeting. Brown spoke briefly about the Sept. 10 Student Federation meeting in Pierre, which he and other members of the SA Executive Board had just returned from. He said Student Federation received a slight budget increase and SA has made a budget request for the 2009 fiscal year. Brown also said that two focus groups for the mascot search would be held on Sept. 11 in residence halls and one would be held Sept. 14 in The Union. SA Vice-President Chris Schaefer announced that the media council would meet sometime in September.

SA meets every Monday evening at 7 p.m. in the Lewis and Clark room, located on the second floor of The Union. The public is welcome to attend.

#1.883342:3118753766.png:SAmeeting.png:Student Association senators met on Sept. 10 to discuss topics.: