On May 17, the four Standing Committees of Student Government gathered to kick off the summer semester and discuss expectations.

The Government Oversight (GO) Committee interviewed three candidates for appointment: Senator Kenneth Smith, Anthony Hall and former Senate President, Thomas Pluchon.

Senator Smith, the former Budget and Allocations chair, was interviewed for his appointment to the position of Treasurer. Smith, endorsed by Student Government President John Aloszka, stated that he believed his previous experience as Budget and Allocations chair would assist him greatly in the more strenuous position of treasurer. The committee agreed, and Smith’s appointment was forwarded to Senate with three yeses.

Following Smith’s forwarding, Anthony Hall was interviewed for the position of Senate Chair. After describing the wealth of leadership experience he has accumulated as a father, an officer for the Honor Society Phi Theta Kappa at his previous school and as a Sergeant of Arms here at UNF, Hall was also forwarded to Senate with three yeses.

Finally, Thomas Pluchon was interviewed by the committee for the judicial position of Associate Justice. As the former Senate President, his experience, combined with an endorsement by President Aloszka, convinced the committee and Pluchon was forwarded with three yeses.

The University and Student Affairs Committee discussed possible topics that students could be surveyed on–including what attracted them to UNF and expectations they have for the upcoming year. Chairwoman Kayla Dougherty presented an updated, more streamlined version of the Osprey Voice Proposal Survey.

The Constitution and Statutes Committee reviewed committee expectations, duties and policies and procedures with its members.

Finally, The Budget and Allocations Committee reviewed four bills: two travel requests and two special requests.

Kaitlyn Chana requested a total of $500 to be put towards lodging and transportation expenses when she attends the 2019 Women Leaders in Healthcare Conference. Chana will be the first student that has been invited to attend the conference and she will moderate a panel that discusses how women are advancing their careers and impacting the field of healthcare. Chana stated that through this conference, she will be able to both help establish UNF’s national presence as well as benefit the other members of her cohort with the knowledge she gains there.

Carly Kramer requested a total of $258 to cover lodging expenses as she attends the 2019 CMF Terminus film festival. Kramer said that the festival will provide her with many important networking opportunities. According to Kramer, she is confident that she will be able to represent UNF as having a strong film presence, despite not providing a film major.

Both bills, which requested a collective $758 from the Travel Request Index ($258 from the current fiscal year, $500 from the next fiscal year), were passed unanimously.

The Legislative Branch requested a sum of $5093.84 to install new security doors for the Club Alliance and Senate Chambers. These new doors will have a “panic button” that can be activated from the inside that immediately lock the doors from the inside in the event of an emergency.

The Legislative Branch also requested $14,218.72 to install two new projectors in the Senate chambers. Further improvements, which include the installation of a large screen in the podium that would allow presenters to read and view what they are presenting without turning around, are planned, but not the cost is not included in this initial sum.

Both bills, which requested a total sum of $19,312.56 from the Special Request Index, were forwarded unanimously and will be voted on at the next Senate meeting.

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