The Ohio Northern University Student Senate hit the ground running, holding its first general meeting of the academic year Aug. 22.
While the meeting was located to the McIntosh Ballroom, which did not have an American flag displayed or means to project the meeting’s agenda, it was nonetheless a productive one.
The meeting opened with a recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance followed by an opening prayer. Each senator, or secretary, was asked to share his favorite memory of Vice President Mary Komandt when he approached the podium to deliver a report. The room filled with laughter several times–a sign that this Senate was close and friendly.
Secretary of Finance Richard Morris presented the official timeline for the 2018-2019 budget appropriations. Presentations will be held in the Dicke Forum at 8 p.m. Sept. 17 and 20. All applications for budget appropriations must be turned in by Sept. 28 at 11:59 p.m. A committee will meet Sept. 29 to review the applications; bloc voting will take place at the Oct. 3 general meeting. Organizations will be notified of their financial awards the following day.
The Second Annual Sibling’s Weekend, hosted by Student Senate and Student Planning Committee, will be held Sept. 14-16.
Events will include a Fearless ShenANYgans Improv show, a movie on the tundra, and a football game. A full schedule of events can be found on the school website as well as the official ONU Student Senate Facebook page.
A t-shirt is being sold to commemorate the event. Sales are open through Aug. 29.
Secretary of Campus Organizations Nate Oblizajek was honored as the Senator/Secretary of the Month for his countless hours of dedication to the planning of this year’s Welcome Fest. Oblizajek also spoke of a new professional engineering fraternity, Theta Tau, which will give a brief presentation at the Sept. 5 general meeting.
A Campus Orgs 101 meeting will be held Aug. 28 at 11 a.m. in the McIntosh Activities Room. Each campus organization is required to send at least one representative to this meeting. Another meeting will be held Jan. 22 for organizations who cannot attend the fall semester meeting.
Students’ voices have been heard as there is word of a test trial for library and fitness center hour extensions. More information to come.
Several positions on Senate remain vacant, including the position of secretary of campus improvements. An application process has been implemented to find a replacement after former Secretary Morgan Couchman graduated after having been hired for the role by President Ferguson.
Housing Representative petitions and the official campaign season for such offices has begun. As a housing representative, students will represent the residents of their respective housing complexes. Petitions to run for the position were dispersed Wednesday night after the general meeting. Secretary of Judicial Affairs Harrison Zeller said he recalled great interest in Student Senate after helping at this year’s Welcome Fest.
All housing petitions must be submitted by midnight Sept. 2.
The next general meeting will be held Aug. 29 at 6 p.m. There is much anticipation for these next few meetings as new faces and fresh ideas fill the already approachable, laughter-filled room.