ASWC senate met last Sunday to discuss recent committee activities and to approve new club and funding requests.
The senate approved three new clubs: Whitman Direct Action, the Firearms Appreciation Society and Students for Ron Paul.
The latter club, presented by club President and Senator Alex Potter, hopes to work on Whitman campus to promote Paul’s presidential campaign. Debate sprang up in the senate as to whether ASWC should sponsor and legitimize an organization devoted to a single political candidate, but the measure easily passed.
Potter was excited about the possibilities of a club devoted to this candidate. “I think the purpose of the club is to allow us to be an official club which lets us partner with other campus organizations,” Potter said during debate. “I would love to see Whitman Students for Ron Paul partner with Coalition against Homophobia to promote gay rights or the Whitman Peace Coalition to end the war in Iraq. I think it will serve a good purpose.”
The senate approved funding requests by the Campus Greens, who requested $880 from the newly created Travel and Conference Fund. They will use this money to send two members to the Power Shift Conference in Washington, D.C., where they will meet with other youths to discuss global issues. This conference is part of the Campus Climate Challenge the Campus Greens have been running this year.
The senate also approved giving $776 to Sentio magazine, which will provide a monthly news magazine for the Whitman Community. Galen Bernard, who brought the request before the senate, will head production.
“We are hoping to stimulate student dialogue, student interest,” said Bernard. “We feel a lot of students have a sense of disconnection here at college, and we want to provide people a reminder of what’s out there.”
Roman Goerss was appointed by President Jeff Wilson to head the Committee on ASWC Reform, which will study the workings of ASWC and the House of Clubs. Goerss hopes to provide a report with recommendations on reform by the end of the semester.
In other activities, senators from every class recently held their first senate forums of the year. Among issues discussed were the need for more on-campus spaces for bands to practice, this year’s Symposium, and the changes to Bon Appétit meal service this year.
Nominations Chair John Stewart plans to announce his seven nominations to the Diversity Committee at the Joint Session this upcoming Sunday. This committee will work with the student representatives on the committee planning the Symposium this year.
The student representatives on the planning committee will all sit on the Diversity Committee and will work with the representatives from the faculty and administrators to advocate student input.
Oversight Chair Jordan Clark also plans to nominate three students to his committee at Sunday’s Joint Session.
Stewart has also opened up applications for three positions on campus. Two of the seats available, one on the Student Technology Advisory Committee and one on the College Athletic Committee, will be open to all students. The final position, which is a seat on the council on student affairs, is limited to upperclassmen girls.
All applications are due Friday, Oct. 26.
Winterim Applications are now available online for all students interested in running a workshop. Members of the Nominations Committee will be tabling in Reid this week.
