This edition of Council Clippings covers the UHR and GSS meetings from Feb. 17, 2009.
Finding Common Ground
Finding Common Ground, an organization seeking to increase open dialogue on campus, sought SGA funding for its latest event, GT Talks.
GT Talks will be held in the Student Center Theater on Feb. 25 and March 4, from noon to 1:30 P.M.
GT Talks will feature panels of Tech administrators, who will answer student questions. The panels are designed to reflect student desires, as expressed on over 300 sticky notes during a Skiles walkway campaign in October.
The organizers requested funding for advertising expenses and audio equipment to be used at the event, for a total of $431. The bill passed GSS 20-2-4 and passed UHR 38-1-1.
Softball Club
The softball club requested funding from SGA for a new set of uniforms.
Currently, the softball club does not have any uniforms, so club members play games wearing shorts and T-shirts. Having uniforms would improve the team’s image, and the uniforms would last four years.
The softball club plays against other softball teams in the Southeast, including UGA and Clemson.
In GSS, questions came up about the appropriate bill amount: senators discussed the appropriate method to arrive at the total cost, and whether discounts should be considered payments by the club. The bill remained at $1,611 and passed GSS 24-1-1. The bill also passed UHR, 39-3-0.
Tech Beautification Day
Representatives requested funding for Tech Beautification Day (TBD), a major on-campus community service event.
This is the 12th year of TBD, which allows community members to work together to improve environmental aspects of campus. TBD organizers expect 1,000 people to volunteer during this year’s event.
Volunteers at the event will receive breakfast during the kick-off and lunch after service has been completed. Each volunteer will also receive a TBD T-shirt.
TBD requested funds from SGA to cover advertising expenses as well as the cost of rental equipment for the day of the event.
After amending the bill per JFC recommendations, reflecting SGA’s decoration policy, the $1,875 bill carried GSS with a vote of 26-1-0. UHR passed the bill unanimously.
Graduation Gowns
This week’s GSS meeting opened with a presentation of possible gown designs for graduation.
The concepts were created in an effort to update the gowns and give them a more distinctive appearance for graduates going into academia. The favorite gown concept featured old gold and Ph.D. blue, matching Tech’s colors.
Senators were concerned with the additional cost of the new gown concepts, and requested information on alternative vendors and fabrics. Senators decided that a gown specific to Tech could be worth the additional cost, as the design gives additional prestige to the wearer and the Institute.
Correction
Last week, Council Clippings said Aaron Fowler vetoed the SCUBA Tech bill on Feb. 3 and 10. Aaron Fowler vetoed the bill only once, on Feb. 10.