SGA Chief of Staff Quinton Haynes expressed his disappointment with senators’ lackluster participation during last week’s events, such as the SGA barbecue. Haynes was also critical of the Senate’s lack of knowledge on current affairs that will affect the university.
Among the issues mentioned were the Board of Trustees’ decision to phase out the Department of General Studies and a planned restructuring of student life that would see a 5 percent cut in funding for all departments. Haynes encouraged senators to go out into the community and reach out to university department to become more well-informed.
The 40th Student Senate held a “poll-watching party” in the Rattler’s Den Tuesday night to learn the results of the 2010 midterm elections.
The Senate is not slowing down in the wake of Spirit Week and Homecoming as it prepares for the Coleman Library Showcase on Thursday Nov. 4. Senator Korbin Miles and other members of the Senate’s Student Relations Committee were not present at Monday’s meeting in order to prepare promotional materials for the upcoming event.
The Senate also entertained lobbyists. Mr. FAMU, Joseph Agboola and Miss FAMU, Kindall Johnson, both lobbied against an upcoming bill. If passed, the bill would require the male escorts for each attendant to be elected from their respective classes. Agboola and Johnson stressed that escorts’ primary duty is not to represent a class, but to serve their attendants. Both argued that the rules of the Royal Court had been in place for over 100 years and any changes may have unforeseen consequences.
The Senate may soon be working with more funds, pending the school’s approval of “Carry Forward,” a regulation that requires the leftover funds of an institution’s budget are swept into a pot at the end of the fiscal year.
Florida A&M’s Carry Forward funds are due to be re-released soon, potentially providing a boost to SGA funding.
In his closing speech Samuel Lamy, senate president pro tempore, encouraged freshman senators to end the academic year strong, mentioning that no student senate has ever had all eight freshman senators make it to their second year.