Paying student government officials

About a month ago, Helen Wood reflected the job outgoing ASG President Jon Webber has done. Wood, who serves as the Center for Student Involvement director and Associated Student Government adviser, expressed how content she was with Webber’s tenure. But having worked with six previous Northwestern ASG presidents, she said she’s always impressed with the people that come in and take up the laborious job.

Webber, a Weinberg senior, didn’t expect the presidency to consume so much of his time. On top of trying to fulfill his campaign promises, Webber soon learned he was always on the job – whether it be meetings or e-mails, whether it be with administrators or his constituents.

“It takes a lot of energy, and it takes a lot of time,” Wood said. “The job is a lonely one. You’re taking a full-time job without pay.”

The fact is, about 80 percent of private universities compensate their student government officers with some sort of stipend or scholarship, according to Executive Director Butch Oxendine of the American Student Government Association, which compiles data on student governments nationwide.

Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio, gives its Student Government Association president about $5,000 a year, which Oxendine said adds up to "pennies on the hour" considering the 40 plus number of hours she puts in per week. Northeastern University in Boston gives its Student Government Association a full tuition waiver and meal plan that adds up to about $24,000.

Compensation opens up the playing field because "otherwise, you just have rich kids running (because) it limits the pool you can draw from," Oxedine said. Many students might not be able to run for their student government because the time commitment would not allow them to work.

Oxendine said compensation for being active in one's student government is about the equivalent of athletes getting scholarships or newspaper staff members getting stipends. The Daily does offer small stipends to staff members who work at least twice a night.


—ALICE TRUONG

A look into Webber's presidency

After hundreds of meetings with students, administrators or a combination of all of the above, Jonathan Webber can finally look forward to some free time. However, his time in politics is not over as he plans to assist his 24-year-old brother’s Missouri state representative campaign during Spring Quarter.

As part of finishing his tenure, the lame duck Associated Student Government president has been tying up loose ends by re-examining campus publicity guidelines, proposing an ASG budget half of last year’s and looking to change elements of A-status funding.

“I’ve learned a huge amount,” the Weinberg senior said. “I learned a lot about time management. I’ve failed at time management over and over again, but hopefully I’ve gotten a bit close to being better.”

A year ago, when he started thinking about running for this position, he didn’t realize just how much time the role would demand.

He came into the presidency with 10 projects he promised he would finish in less than a month. Even after that month, his plate remains full. His inbox always has e-mails from a variety of students who want to see some aspect of Northwestern changed. He is always scheduled to meet with students, fellow ASG members and administrators to talk about a new initiative or a new proposal. Webber would estimate spending about 20 hours of his week just on fulfilling the standard duties of ASG president. Any time spent on special projects would be in addition to those 20 hours.

For example, during Fall Quarter, Webber brought together student leaders and administrators to create a Student-Community Relations Task Force to discuss solutions for the increasing number of students, especially freshmen, in the hospital for alcohol-related reasons.

“That report was very well-done,” Vice President for Student Affairs William Banis said. “Jon has been very balanced and fair as a student advocate. He has been deliberate in gathering information on issues and doing his research.”

During his first quarter as president, Webber advocated for student theater groups, securing funding from the School of Communication, Norris University Center and ASG for a $20,000 investment in dimmer packs to ensure theater groups wouldn’t have to continue spending money renting them. Because funding is done on a yearly basis, securing funding for such lighting was an obstacle because of the cost.

“These dimmer packs will help for 25 years,” Communication junior Rebecca Stevens said. “He wasn’t advocating for student theater because he liked student theater better or thought we deserved more funding. What he was standing up and talking about was a different way to look at funding.”

But when Webber needs to take a break from his many responsibilities, he goes to the Center for Student Involvement office to chat with ASG Adviser Helen Wood for 20 to 30 hours per week.

“She’s one of my closest friends,” he said. “I rely on her literally every day of the year.”

Wood, who has worked with six NU ASG presidents, said Webber was willing to work behind the scenes for issues that affect students and not to bask in the glory of having his name in the newspaper.

“The job is a lonely one. You’re taking a full-time job without pay,” she said. “It takes a lot of energy, and it takes a lot of time.”

Wood said she acted as a sounding board for Webber where he was able to unload and not have to worry about his agenda.

“I think that’s where our relationship grew – being in a situation where he trusts me,” she said.

Because “universities are notorious for moving very slowly,” the effects of Webber’s work might not come into fruition for a couple more years, Wood said.

“Being patient and understanding – that is the best thing he’s been able to do,” she said. “The future of Northwestern will benefit.”

So far, Webber has built the foundation for future initiatives by researching and starting conversations. Such projects include creating a 24-hour campus and an office for off-campus students.

“I’m confident I will leave ASG better than I found it,” Webber said. “I really think a lot of the projects that I worked on — that they’re going to have an effect on campus two to five years from now.”


—ALICE TRUONG

Group executive accountability bill passed with continuing debate over SAFB accountability

And for the third straight week, debate ensued over the group executive accountability bill. Where once the original bill showed divisions between Executive Vice President Matt Bogusz and members of his executive committee, the revised bill showed divisions between the Senate, including the executive committee, and the Student Activities Finance Board. This has been a contentious topic making its way through three Associated Student Government Senate meetings thus far. Though the body passed a bill to mandate student group reviews of group executives, it will likely reappear on the Senate floor, revised to increase accountability of SAFB's group account executives.

At the end of the night, the original bill presented to Senate — only to create group executive accountability — was passed. Another vote was taken in order to permanently write the bill's protocol into ASG guidelines instead of having the bill take effect for only two years, as all ASG bills do. A two-thirds majority is needed to change ASG guidelines.

A proposed legislative order by Will Upton to require SAFB to similar accountability rules failed to meet a two-thirds majority, with only 58 percent of Senate for the order. Upton suggested SAFB use the same bill, revised in ways to fit the board, such as changing the questions student group leaders would answer.

SAFB members debated vehemently against such a move. The order to require the financial vice president draft something similar to what the executive committee has presented made the board defensive. Members see the idea of improving accountability important, but thought it was unfair to make SAFB do something it hasn't discussed yet whereas the executive committee has had several weeks to create and revise its bill before presenting to Senate.

"I think it's unfair to ask us to take the same bill and change the questions and not have us discuss it within the committee," board member Cassie Witten said.

Weinberg freshman Jonathan Green, one of the group executive accountability bill's authors, said there was enough flexibility for SAFB by altering the questionnaire that would be used to gather feedback from student group leaders. Before the legislative order was presented, Witten argued against using the same form, but said she would like to see the questions changed to include other aspects, such as professionalism of account executives.

ASG President Jon Webber said that when he was talking to more than 20 A-status group leaders, accountability was a big theme that emerged from discussions to improve or change the way SAFB and A-status funding cycle work.

Furthermore, the board did not like the idea of making such information public because of fear of backlash from student groups who resented not get the amount of money requested from the board during the spring funding cycle.

"I think it's limiting," Financial Vice President Seva Rodnyansky said of the legislative order. "Those comments (from student group leaders) would be colored by money and funding."

There is also information about SAFB that members argued to stay within the closed committee. Bogusz argued that presenting the SAFB accountability information to Senate was important.

"The question is whether or not this information should come to you (senators)," he said. "That's assuming the groups we're dealing with are stupid, uninformed and don't deserved to be listened to. We're not here to protect people in our committees. You should all have the information for every committee for which you authorize."

The legislative order to apply the bill's theme to SAFB has failed, but senators hinted that a similar bill might reappear, perhaps for the fourth week in a row.


—ALICE TRUONG

Saving $45,000: where ASG decided to cut and spend

The proposed ASG operating budget for this upcoming year has decreased by almost half of the current $88,000 budget, and senators will vote on it next week.

With the 2008-09 budget set at $43,000, the saved $45,000 will mean more money for student groups.

“Hopefully this will improve programming across campus,” Associated Student Government President Jon Webber said.

The largest decrease came from the removal of Associated Student Government student legal services, decreasing $35,000 from the budget, which was used to pay for the salary of the lawyer. The biggest expense in the upcoming budget is paying for ASG-related expenses for Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebrations, costing $20,000.

Webber, a Weinberg senior said that though the current 2007-08 budget is set at $88,000, only about $20,000 has been spent. Much of the savings also included scaling back the budget to what is actually used. For example, ASG allocated $6,000 to spend on copier maintenance for the current year, but Webber said the full amount wasn’t being used. The copier budget has been decreased to $3,500. The Senate retreat was scaled back from a couple thousand dollars to $500 because the retreat will remain on campus.

While many cuts were made in the upcoming budget, several increases were also made.

The fall activities fair’s budget was increased from $4,500 to $6,000 for next year because of increased student turnout and demand. A new “senate project pool” of $5,000 was created for the upcoming year.

“One of my biggest frustrations of the year is that I didn’t set my own budget,” Webber said. “I’m setting the budget for the next person.”

The pool will allow ASG president as well as executive board members and senators to access the funds so long as Senate approves a petition from the people requesting to spend the amount. Because the pool is new to ASG, the amount of money available is set to be small.

“It’s big enough to make a difference, but not big enough to be ridiculous,” he said. “It would allow them to have things on their priority list or agenda.”

Money that wouldn’t be used from the pool would be rolled back to the body. The $43,000 budget includes $1,200 for office supplies; $6,100 for capital technology, including copier maintenance; $9,200 for special events, including the fall and winter activities fairs; $1,500 for Student Activities Finance Board and the executive committee expenses; $20,000 for Martin Luther King Jr. Day programming and $5,000 for the senate project pool.

The following is the report sent out to senators:

2008-2009 ASG Operating Budget Total: $43,000

Office Supplies $1,200
This money will go toward general office supplies for the ASG office and does not include costs associated with the student group printer/copier or the office supplies for the Student Legal Services office. Items include staplers, pens, pencils, paper clips, binders, page protectors, tape, file folders, Post-its, white-out, three-hole puncher, scissors, etc.

Capital Technology $6,100

Copier $3,500
Included in this line item are any charges associated with the student group copier including monthly rental service, paper, toner, staples, and any charges for repairs and/or service calls. Additionally, this line item will cover any costs associated with copying materials at the copy center that are not included in the special events or marketing line items.

Technology $2,000
These funds are to be used for the purchase, maintenance, repair and service of ASG-owned technology equipment. This includes the fax machine, computers, telephone lines, software, printers, etc., but does not include the student group copier. Also includes any lockdown or antitheft measures for the technology.
Sight, Sound, and Seating $600

This line item is to be used for A/V and set up charges associated with Senate meetings, ASG election debates, ASG info sessions, and any other sort of town hall meetings. Any A/V and set up charges incurred for other events will come from the special events line item.

Special Events $9,200

Senate Retreat $500
This will be used to pay for any costs incurred for Senate retreat including venue charges, A/V charges, printing of senator handbooks, and binders for the event.
Fall Activities Fair $6000

This covers venue charges, tent rentals, A/V charges, room setup or other equipment fees, printing of material for handbooks, and any other necessary materials for the Fall Activities Fair.

Winter Activities Fair $500
This covers venue charges, A/V charges, room setup or other equipment fees, printing of material for handbooks, and any other necessary materials for the Winter Activities Fair.

LAB $2000
This covers venue charges, A/V charges, room setup or other equipment fees, printing of material for handbooks, name tags, and any other necessary materials for the Leadership Advisory Board.

Big Bite Nite $200
This money will cover any costs associated with Big Bite Nite including transportation costs, table rentals and any other supplies needed for the execution of the event.

SAFB/ Executive Committee Expenses $1,500

This line item is to be used for any expenses related to the operations of the SAFB/ Executive Committee including student group audits, account executive binders, funding cycle printed materials and annual review supplies. Also, includes costs for co-sponsorship forums.

Martin Luther King Day $20,000

This line item covers all ASG related expenses for the Martin Luther King Day Celebrations. This is specifically for honorariums traditionally requested in the spring term.

Senate Project Pool $5,000

This line will not be able to be used unless the ASG Senate approves a petition from the ASG President & Executive Board to spend a portion of the line for a project.

—ALICE TRUONG

UBPC recruits help of ASG committees

In tomorrow's Daily, you'll find in out a lot about how the Undergraduate Budget Priorities Committee will present its recommendations to some senior university administrators this Friday. Though results will not be disclosed until UBPC meets with the university budget committee, with members including President Henry Bienen, Vice President for Student Affairs Bill Banis and Vice President for Business and Finance Eugene Sunshine, the recommendations will help UBPC rank the recommedations.

UBPC, made up of six members, will present four recommendations: wireless Internet on campus, 24-hour study spaces, downtown Chicago Saturday shuttle and renovations to the ground floor of Norris University Center. These issues were gathered from an open December poll in which students listed services they would like to have at Northwestern. A more recent poll posted in early February asked students to rate what the four recommendations.

Several of the recommendations on the priorities list are issues that members of Associated Student Government have been working on themselves. For example, Kate Pascale's external relations committee has been working with university services to create a weekend downtown Chicago shuttle. The committee also put up a poll recently, asking students about what their usage of such a proposed shuttle would be like. UBPC chairwoman Jessica Wash said that she has been collaborating research with Pascale and the external relations committee, and the committee poll results were shared with UBPC.

ASG Academic Vice President Anna Xu's academic committee's wireless subcommittee has been working with Northwestern University Information Technology to see the feasibility of wireless. The results of a recent meeting with NUIT seem good, said Anna Xu who said it is her goal to have wireless in all the dorms by this upcoming Fall Quarter. The academic subcommittee has also worked with UBPC with its research. It has found that 58 percent, or 11, of 19 comparable (in terms of size and status) Consortium on Financing Higher Education institutions have wireless Internet in their dorm. NU falls in line with the eight universities that don't have wireless Internet in their dorms.

Wireless Internet has been a reoccurring UBPC recommendation since 2001, Wash said. Since then, the university has made certain steps toward a wireless campus with its first Virtual Private Network set up in 2002. Last year, students ranked wireless Internet first in the 2007 UBPC poll. Because wireless Internet was packaged with improving cell phone coverage, the university focused on the latter to increase communication options in wake of the Virginia Tech shooting in April.

The other two options include less involvement on the part of ASG members, although it should be noted that the ASG president is an honorary member in the committee, and the recently retired ASG financial vice president Aneesa Arshad is part of the committee as well.

Some interesting points to be made about the other two recommendations:

• In her report about Norris renovations, Arshad said the suggestion to change the ground floor can be traced back to the ASG president from 1984. A quote from last year stated that completely overhauling Norris with new furniture and a new kitchen area would cost $6 million to $8 million. To renovate the ground floor area that doesn't include the kitchen would cost about $2 million less. However, these numbers are a year old and vary with contractors, Arshad said.
• Of US News and World Report's list of national institutions, 18 of the top 20 universities have 24-hour spaces. NU is one of two that doesn't have such a space. A note to keep in mind is that during the Fall Quarter, library hours were extended after UBPC proposed the change last year. At the beginning of Winter Quarter, university and dining officials were thinking of scaling back the University Library's Plaza Cafe hours because not enough students were using them.

—ALICE TRUONG

The arm of ASG some hope to change

Aneesa Arshad held one of the most – if not the most – powerful student positions on campus.

As the former Associated Student Government financial vice president, the SESP senior oversaw a board that doled out about $1.2 million to student groups last spring.

Last Wednesday, her reign came to an end.

“I’ve learned a lot,” she said to the Senate as the outgoing financial vice president. “It’s sad to go, but change is good.”

Yet questions loom as to what change will come in Arshad’s place.

The change starts with her successor, Weinberg junior Seva Rodnyansky who is making sure the Student Activities Finance Board will be ready for spring funding. 

Right now, Rodnyansky is working on transitioning to the position. Despite having been part of the board since Fall Quarter during his freshman year, he said “there’s always more to learn because it’s a constantly evolving process.”

And if ASG President Jon Webber has his way, the funding process could change more than anyone in SAFB would expect.

Weeks before B-status group funding took place Feb. 13, the Weinberg senior was already thinking of ways to change spring funding for A-status groups which in a time-honored tradition has kept tired senators and student group leaders in a cramped Norris room for many hours.

The board oversees funding for A-status groups, on-campus groups that are typically more established and require more funding. It prepares for the largest event of the year with a set of recommendations in a 60-hour auditing and interviewing process. During the process and throughout the year, the board follows a strict protocol of monthly audits, weekly petition and numerous applications. Some see this process as too rigid, but SAFB members say this is crucial for student group accountability. The board is responsible for the $44 student activities fee every student pays each quarter.

“At the end of the day, this is students’ money,” Arshad said. “And if there weren’t so many rules and procedures, I think people would feel nervous that every cent isn’t being held accountable.”

Webber has yet to announce the funding changes, pending further discussion with Rodnyansky, who has held the office of financial vice president for less than a week now. Webber has talked to over 20 A-status groups’ leaders and compiled pages upon pages of notes in a Word document. He said there are emerging themes from these complaints and suggestions that could potentially alter, or even encourage a major overhaul of, the process, the protocol and the institution. 

With an arm of ASG that is potentially more powerful than the body itself, compiled of six senators and six non-senators, there is a sense of division and friction. Members of the board go into Senate meetings, dressed like career-oriented men and women, occupying a corner of the room and focused on their laptops. But the greatest tension stems from who has the final say at the end of funding.

Senators, who act as a check to the board by debating the funding recommendations, have an amendment pool of about $20,000 during spring funding that they can allocate to the student groups. But most the time, senators pass almost all of the recommendations.

“This is one of the most important things that Senate does,” Arshad said. “And there’s a little bit of tension because (funding) is something that’s supposed to be  ultimately up to the senators, but because we put so much time and have so much knowledge (having audited these groups), we actually – I think a lot of people would agree – have more power in the process.”

Even within the board, with members who might be friends, debates are heated.

“At committee, we go at each other 10 times more than people go at each other in Senate,” Arshad said. “We tear each other apart.”

But there are no hard feelings – such debate is crucial to the board’s effectiveness, Arshad said.

“If we’re not debating, and we don’t really disagree, then we’re not doing our job,” she said.

This is all before they make their recommendations. These internal divisions don't make a difference when recommendations are finalized. When the board presents the funding recommendations, it presents them as one board.

Relations between the board and student groups most obviously become strained during the funding process because “there’s never enough money to go around,” Arshad said.

Unhappy groups can mobilize and bring a number of members to the Senate meeting to debate funding. While a group might try to get the largest slice from the senate’s discretionary pie, Arshad said outsiders’ presence sometimes signals student group disapproval of the board.

As the newest financial vice president, Rodnyansky is face of SAFB. Even though he has his own set of goals to bring in change, he, like Arshad did, will face difficulties – not from outsiders, but from the position itself. It’s a difficulty that Webber, in his quest to change the board, will have to deal with as well.

“Each financial vice president has goals … But it’s just so overwhelming the things you have to do day to day,” Arshad said. “There are things I wanted to do that I couldn’t.”

—ALICE TRUONG

Plaza Cafe hours still intact, possible airport shuttles, publicity guidelines re-evaluated

When Plaza Cafe's extended hours weren't used enough by students last quarter, its hours were almost pushed back to midnight.

After Associated Student Government President Jon Webber met with officials from university dining services, they decided to keep the hours open for another quarter. The library cafe's hours were extended to 2 a.m. Sunday to Thursday for the first time during Fall Quarter because of ASG lobbying.

"It's been a long priority of ASG to keep library hours extended very late," the Weinberg senior said.

In the Student-Community Relations Task Force report that was released last month, the task force identified the creation of "third spaces," or space for students to socialize during late-night weekends, as a priority. The current Undergraduate Budget Priorities Committee also lists 24-hour study spaces as a possible recommendation.

"We are trying to do everything we can to make sure library hours are utilized, so hours aren't shortened," Webber said.

As a part of the extended- hours agreement, ASG publicized the cafe hours through listserv e-mails last week.

The cafe was deemed to have low usage last quarter by the number of register transactions, Webber said. The hours for the cafe will be re-evaluated at the end of the quarter.

Webber is also talking with University Services about the feasibility of creating a shuttle before and after breaks to transport students to the airport. If established, the shuttle would probably run the last two days of the quarter and the day before classes started, he said.

The ASG executive board has also been working with University Services about a possible weekend Chicago shuttle. The committee is polling student support for the proposal on NU Link, asking students when they'd like the shuttle to run, how much they'd be willing to pay and what shuttle stops they would use in downtown Chicago.

In addition, ASG and university officials will re-evaluate publicity guidelines on campus. Webber said he has gathered feedback from about 40 student group leaders through an e-mail questionnaire about how they publicize events and what they'd like to see.

"We're taking a look at how successful current methods are," he said.

—ALICE TRUONG

ASG meeting cancelled due to weather

The drama of B-status funding will have to wait another week.

 

Associated Student Government Senate is cancelled, along with evening classes, because of the weather.  The winter storm has already left 1,000 flights stranded at O'Hare Airport and could bring as much as a foot of snow, the Chicago Tribune reported.

ASG President Jon Webber said the meeting was postponed to avoid low turnout for B-status group members who would've shown up at the meeting to debate funding.

Other items on the agenda were two bills, one concerning Northwestern's non-discrimination policy and the other about group executive accountability.

—ALICE TRUONG

ASG releases Student-Community Relations Taskforce

Check out The Daily tomorrow for more details about the task force report.

But briefly, the Student-Community Relations Taskforce, composed off faculty members and student leaders, made the following recommendations during Fall Quarter to improve the relationship between Northwestern and Evanston:

1. Creating a "third space": The task force hopes to use Shanley Pavilion, when theater groups have secured a new location, to create a cafe or sports bar atmosphere for both on- and off-campus students to socialize in a healthy manner during late-night weekends.
2. Improving off-campus transportation: This shuttle would transport students to make downtown Chicago more accessible to students who can use this as a healthy alternative to excessive drinking. The task force also wants to work with the shuttle office for specific shuttle routes and with Saferide to decrease wait-times on Friday and Saturday nights.
3. Amending the freshman freeze: The task force wants to shorten the freshman freeze to only the week of Wildcat Welcome. The currently policy prohibits freshmen in Greek houses until the end of the third week of class. In addition to changing the policy, the task force encourages the Interfraternity Council and Panhellenic Association to hold information sessions at the beginning of the academic year about recruitment and interactions with on-campus Greek organizations.
4. Tackling on-campus drinking: By improving new student alcohol education and providing late-night weekend munchies, the task force hopes to see a decrease in on-campus drinking. The new alcohol education would combine what is instated, such as on-campus educational programs, with information tailored specifically for NU students.
5. Creating an off-campus housing office: A new off-campus housing office could provide information sessions for students considering living off campus or students already in off-campus residences. These sessions could tell students a range of information from contract negotiation and signing to how to throw a responsible off-campus party. The task force also hopes to see an off-campus housing review Web site. The office wold continue to work on increasing positive interactions between off-campus NU students and Evanston residents.
6. Changing Wildcat Welcome: The task force wants to shorten Wildcat Welcome to five or six days improve late-night programming, include upperclassmen in Wildcat Welcome's programs and delay the move-in of returning students on campus from Wednesday to Thursday or Friday. Creating a fall quarter student advisory board with Associated Student Government, Panhellenic, Interfraternity Council, Residence Hall Association, Residential College Board presidents to meet several times during Fall Quarter to provide feedback to Wildcat Welcome coordinators.

Some of these recommendations might seem familiar. The Associated Student Government external relations committee has already been working on to create an off-campus residence review Web site and to create a weekend Chicago shuttle.

ASG President Jon Webber said administrators have generally responded well to the recommendations, but that doesn't necessarily mean there will be funding for all of them. The task force's findings are still being presented to administrators who couldn't make the Dec. 5 meeting. The Weinberg senior said three things will happen to the list of recommendations:

• Webber hopes to see some of the recommendations on the Undergraduate Budget Priorities Committee's list of recommendations, that is due to come out sometime during February.
• Some funding for student groups might support some of the recommendations.
• University officials either reject or fund the recommendations.

Of the list, Webber identified creating an off-campus housing office as most important for students and on the top of his list, Vice President for Student Affairs Bill Banis said creating a third space was something the university will focus on (“This is something we will weave into our planning for spacing,” he said), and Banis said shortening the freshman freeze or Wildcat Welcome was unlikely.

Wildcat Welcome is unlikely to change because of the individual schools' advising policy, which would be difficult to re-engineer. Wildcat Welcome's length also depends on the way the week falls on the calendar, which can range from seven to 11 days.

The freshman freeze also is unlikely to change because it is an academically drawn policy instated by the General Faculty Committee, which is NU's equivalent to a faculty senate, which spent years to craft.

"It'd require too many people to change (the policy)," Banis said. "Frankly, I don't see that going away."


—ALICE TRUONG

General project updates and the like

So outside of heated debates, many other things happened during yesterday's ASG meeting.  They won't necessarily take headlines (or even appear in the last sentence of the copy), which is why The Daily has a blog.  These little updates are worth mentioning, especially when committee investigations are involved.  It's also great in helping The Daily keep up with its tracking projects.  For tracking updates, I'll put in an obnoxious UPDATE! in front of the description starting with this blog post.

UPDATE! ATEC, the temporary name for the off-campus housing review Web site (dubbed after the Course and Teacher Evaluation Council reviews), has been renamed the Apartment and Condos in Evanston.

There are two undergoing invesgitations concerning College Feminists' publication Juice and For Members Only's publication Blackboard.  The investigations will be discussed Tuesday in committee and presented Wednesday to the Senate where recommendations will be made and senators will choose either to close the investigation or create sanctions against the groups.

The African American Theater Emsemble has removed its remaining funds from its fall events to its winter show.

UPDATE! The transportation poll, which was thought to run last Thursday, will be up sometime this week.  The poll is part of the external relations committee's efforts to gauge student opinion about a possible weekend Chicago shuttle.

LISTSERV UPDATES

As for other news, there are a couple things circulating on the ASG listserv.  Aside from the typical listserv forwardings, a couple might be of intrigue to the student body.

• Senator attendance.  Who's representing you?  Is s/he really representing you if s/he doesn't show up?  Keep checking the ASG blog to see updates on this.
• Financial vice president application for the upcoming year.  This is a pretty comprehensive application.  It includes 12 questions and five hypothetical situations.  But of course, the six voting members on the selection committee wouldn't want to laboriously read pages upon pages about ways to improve Student Activities Finance Board and the like, so there's a page limit.  14 pages double spaced.  Applications are due Wednesday, Feb. 5.
• ASG President Jon Webber sent out last week an informal survey to senators, past and current student group presidents and PR chairs.  In it, he asked questions ranging from their use of ground flyering to their use of NU Link.  Webber said a couple weeks ago that he hopes the Undergraduate Budget Priorities Committee (which he is a part of) will recommend increasing communication technology on campus similar to what the dining halls and Norris University Center have been planning.  On top of the technology, which could involve more flat screen televisions like the ones in Norris and outdoor weatherproof kiosks, helping student groups publicize their events, the technology could be helpful in the event of an emergency.

—ALICE TRUONG

Senator turnout at MLK events

During this week's Associated Student Government meeting, ASG President Jon Webber asked for a show of hands to see how many senators went to the MLK events.

Of all the senators, a handful attended the 11 a.m. event commemorating Martin Luther King Jr. in the Pick-Staiger Concert Hall Monday, featuring former U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexis Herman.  About twice as many senators attended the evening vigil at Alice Millar Chapel.

"It is embarassing when ASG doesn't show up," Webber said to the Senate.

—ALICE TRUONG

Tracking ASG for Winter Quarter

The Daily is working to create an ASG tracker project, in essence noting every proposal for Winter Quarter and every time there's an update to it.  Hopefully, the Northwestern community will be able to easily access information in an easy-to-consume format.

For the time being, there is a simple list.  In due time, this will turn into something more comprehensive.

ASG meeting 1: Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2008

• ASG President Jon Webber's executive board obligations.  There will be three responsibilities for each of the 12 executive board members for the quarter.  (The progress for this will probably be tracked separately.)
  
• ASG Clerk James D'Angelo working for "political freedom" on campus, as Senate Speaker Jesse Garfinkel described it at the meeting.  The Communication junior has been working with the Internal Revenue System and the General Counsel to try to allow students and student groups to assemble and endorse political candidates using university resources.
  
• Neal Sales-Griffin and senator reliability.  The SESP junior wants to increase communication between senators and their constituents.
  
• Steve Eilers and the external relations committee pushing to create a Web site for off-campus housing reviews.
  
• RHA wanting to sponsor more community-oriented events, such as firesides.
  
• External relations committee working to create a weekend Chicago shuttle to deter excessive drinking as a result of lack of entertainment options.
  

ASG meeting 2: Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2008

• (Update 1 on Shuttles) The external relations committee was going to present a bill to Senate to put up a poll on NU Link to gauge student interest for the shuttle.  Because of scheduling conflicts, which senators later learned to be caused by sorority rush, the external relations committee didn't meet before the Senate meeting.  Thus, there was no bill to present at the meeting.  External relations committee Chairwoman Kate Pascale said a bill isn't needed for polls, and it was only done in the past as an extension of senatorial courtesy. Pascale also told The Daily that evening the poll would be posted the following day, Thursday, Jan. 17, but as of now, the only thing resembling a poll on NU Link's home page is a dated survey about student satisfaction with university services.
  

The above also provides a nice synopsis of the previous two meetings.  There was no Daily story that ran last Thursday detailing the meeting because editors didn't feel it would fill 10 inches (which is about 500 words).  From here on after, ASG reporting will focus more on blogging, but stories will still run when Senate does something particularly noteworthy. 

In addition to tracking bills/ideas presented during Senate meetings, The Daily hopes to track senator attendance and Webber's executive board goals.  Keep checking this blog for updates on all these different ASG trackers.

—ALICE TRUONG