An Emergency Joint Session was held on April 22 to spread out the many items that need approval of both houses. It started with the Finance Committee announcing that budget hearings will be held on Tuesday and Thursday at 4 p.m. and Friday at 2 p.m. in Reid 240 in 10-minute slots for clubs to request changes to the monies allocated to them in the committee’s preliminary budget.

Later in the meeting, Ajay presented that budget and explained a few key factors. First, there is a proposed change to the bylaws that will be presented at the next joint session in which the Pioneer will receive eight percent instead of nine percent of ASWC’s budget; however this will technically result in the Pioneer receiving $4000 more next year than this past year because, as Alex Potter reported last week, ASWC has been breaking its own bylaws when approving budgets and not abiding by the current nine percept stipulation.

Also, a bylaw change that was approved passed that creates the Travel and Conference Fund, as a separate line item on the overall budget for clubs to use instead of their own budgets for travel; requesting from it will work just like contingency requests. Working on this also led to some hopes for change in club leadership, communication and duties that will be worked out at a later time.

The IHC and IHC Block Party have been split into two separate lines, and the Films, Speakers
and Public Events budgets were all increased to encourage clubs to use this budget to bring events to campus because the chairs in these positions have training with contracts and licensing.

Policy Committee is working on attendance and voting in the Senate, as well as revamping ways for Senators to communicate with their constituents. Dan Shaw is working on changing Reading Day to multiple days or even a “dead week” since Whitman doesn’t really have one because it often falls on weekend days. Thomas Miller is going to look into a resolution to encourage the faculty to allow for freedom of assembly and speech in response to the “rap-off incident,” where the event was broken up. Bryce McKay is still working on his resolution on diversity, and the ad hoc committee by George Bridges has proposed a Dean of Diversity position be added to the administration. To be on this committee, contact Jed Schewndiman, associate to the president.

Programming has a lot coming up: Choral Contest on April 27 from 7-9 p.m. in Cordiner, Ren Faire on April 28 from 10-5 p.m. on Boyer, the Blue Moon-KWCW party on April 28 at 9:30 p.m. on the Reid side lawn, and a lecture by Alfred Lubrano on May 1 at 7 p.m. in Maxey Auditorium.

The Nominations Committee, having spent the past two weeks conducting interviews, has made its selections for positions that will be approved by both houses at the next joint session meeting. For more information, e-mail Laura Hanson, the Nominations Chair.
The Executive Council is working on The Source, a pamphlet for first-years that will inform them about ASWC. If you or your club would like anything to go in, such as a promotional blurb, let ASWC President Eric Wehlitz know. The Web site is being perfected by Josh Carp, using the old template, and clubs should send any updated information to either Ajay or Eric to be put on the site.

Senior Senator Shea Dunda had a complaint filed against him with the Oversight Committee, and their investigation found that he has not fulfilled his duties as a senator, having only attended three of the 19 Senate or Joint Session meetings, four Programming Committee meetings and none of the Senior Forums. In order for impeachment proceedings to take place, a 3/5 majority of the Senate needed to sign a petition; this was passed around, and enough senators signed, so the process will continue at the next meeting.

A change to Section 2 of the Constitution was approved to be sent to the student body and voted on either before the end of the year or during the first-year Senate elections in the fall. It is about the discriminatory nature of Pan-Helenic, IFC and gendered Club Sports, and allows organizations permitted by the Faculty Policy Code and explicit endorsement from the administration to be recognized by ASWC.

The bylaw change that has been in the works for a while now that splits the position of Communications Director into two, Secretary and Communications Director, was approved.