Council Clippings

WREK
WREK Radio announced plans to request $97,000 in funding for a new antenna during Tuesday’s SGA meetings. Jonathan Walker, General Manager, and Daniel Smith, Chief Engineer presented the proposal to the Graduate Senators and Undergraduate Representatives during the weekly open forum discussion.
The new antenna is the culmination of a multi-year bid for a 100,000W non-commercial broadcast license. The license would allow WREK to broadcast at the highest power level allowed for an FM station, extending the station’s range both north and west.
Both Representatives and Senators took the opportunity to ask the representatives from WREK several questions about the details of the new antenna and the nature of the station itself. No debate occurred on the proposed bill itself, which will most likely be discussed during SGA’s Feb. 8 meetings.
WREK has been planning for this request for the past three years, informing SGA of this request well in advance.
“I will say that the WREK organization has done everything in its power to ensure that this large request is not a surprise – literally giving SGA three years notice,” said Kathy Schnure, Executive Vice President of Graduate SGA. “I applaud the fact that they’ve been so open, responsible and proactive as a group, and think that WREK’s leadership continues to set a great example for the leadership of other organizations on campus.”
The bill will use a significant amount of SGA’s Capital Outlay account which is designated for large expenditures with operational lifetimes in excess of three years.
According to Brad Bauerkemper, Vice President of Finance for Undergraduate SGA and chairman of the Joint Finance Committee, this bill would use about 20 percent of the remaining balance.
“While it is a pretty staggering figure, this is not a surprise to anyone involved with SGA and there is, I believe, a sufficient amount of money left in CO to sustain its funding,” Bauerkemper said. “…the figure is no doubt imposing, and I believe the bill will and rightly should spark a lively debate in both the house and senate.”
Other Bills
SGA considered and passed five bills totaling nearly $25,000 this Tuesday. Coming mostly from the Prior Year account, the bills passed the House and Senate by wide margins, drawing great enthusiasm from the Representatives in particular.
Solar Jackets requested $11,379 in funds to pay for equipment for their solar powered car. Intended to last two years and compete twice, the car is mostly funded through outside sponsorships and will travel to Australia for competition.
Ramblin’ Raas, an Indian folk dance group, requested $2958 to pay for travel and registration fees to Texas and Michigan tournaments. Ramblin’ Raas is one of the top ten such groups in the nation.
Canoe and Kayak Club asked for $7000 to pay for a new four-person kayak. Meant to allow more people to compete in four-person races and to replace aging equipment, the new kayak is expected to last well beyond the three year lifespan required by Joint Finance Committee for capital expenditures.
The American Medical Student Association requested $2356 to fund their annual pre-health conference. The organization said that it would improve the prestige of Tech’s program and increase its profile around the city.
Although its representatives failed to appear for the GSS meeting Tuesday morning, Gamers Guild appeared at UHR. Representatives questioned Guild officials for over 10 minutes about the activities of organization. The organization, which focuses on board and card games, enthusiastically described the many games its members play on a regular basis. The bill requesting Capital Outlay funds for the purchase of over a dozen board games, will be debated by the Senate next week.