Financial vice president application due Wednesday

The deadline for the financial vice president application is fast approaching.  All those interested should e-mail their applications by Wednesday, Feb. 6 to current Financial Vice President Aneesa Arshad, who will be the chairwoman of the selection committee.

SESP junior Neal Sales-Griffin was recently elected to the selection committee as a member of the Senate on Wednesday's meeting, saying he was looking for someone passionate best for the job.

As of Wednesday evening, Arshad said she has not received any applications for the position, which was in charge of funding more than $900,000 to 44 A-status student groups this past Spring Quarter.  Arshad said she expects a minimum of two applications based on the inquiries she has received.

More to come on The Daily print edition soon.

—ALICE TRUONG

The 36 things ASG executive board members hope to accomplish this winter

In an attempt to make Associated Student Government more accountable, ASG President Jon Webber announced at the beginning of the quarter that each executive board member would have three (more or less) goals to work on for Winter Quarter.

The Weinberg senior said that while he hopes to see all these goals met, he also understands that certain executive board members might have a harder time meeting their goals depending on the difficulty of the project as well as other responsibilities the member has.

The following is a list of their goals taken from the second meeting's agenda.  You can see that some of these things have been consistently brought up in Senate meetings and others are worked on more quietly.  Regardless, there are 36 different goals here they all hope to meet.

President Jon Webber

1. Write and present campus programming board proposal
   
2. Follow up on recommendations from Community Relations Task Force
   
3. Be constantly available to executive members on helping with goals
   

Executive Vice President Matt Bogusz

1. B-status funding
   
2. Guideline review
   
3. Annual review
   
4. Group executive quarterly performance review
   
5. Norris space evaluation
   
6. Promote investment in shared resources
   

Financial Vice President Aneesha Arshad:

1. Launch new Student Activities Finance Board
   
2. Annual Review
   
3. Financial vice president selection/ smooth transition
   

Student Services Vice President Nate West

1. Business guide
   
2. Off-campus Munch Money
   
3. "Finish shuttle stuff" (This probably includes reliability, ghost ride program, etc.)
   
4. Light walk
   

Parliamentarian Jack Eichorst

1. Get roster to 49; head audit of senate seat allocation group
2. Crack down on attendance; announce attendance weekly
3. Everything from this year archived online

Academic Vice President Anna Xu

1. Guest lecture series
2. Campus advising
3. Video-taped lectures

Campus Public Relations Chair Ren Hargens

1. Visit PR sites: 30 visits during Winter Quarter
2. Solid advertising program for elections
3. Publish 12 press releases

External Relations Chairwoman Kate Pascale

1. Communiversity Day
2. Transportation to Chicago
3. ATEC (recently renamed Apartment and Condos in Evanston) reviews

Treasurer Kolin Pound

1. Manage normal finance issues
2. Complete NAA Student Group Board project

Technology Director Jonathan Koenig

1. Restaurant/business guide
2. Dorm/apartment review Web site
3. Manage normal technology issues

Clerk James D'Angelo

1. Allow student groups to advocate/support political parties/bills on a federal level
2. Write and present proposal to improve the study abroad office
3. Complete duties as clerk

—ALICE TRUONG

Students allowed to rally for political candidates at The Rock

Students having the right to partake in political activity is an issue ASG Clerk James D'Angelo has held near and dear to his heart.  The Communication junior announced in yesterday's ASG meeting that students are now able to use The Rock to rally for political candidates.

D'Angelo said he met with Assistant General Councel John Caulkins, and Vice President and General Counsel Thomas Cline, and they agreed to allow any Associated Student Government-recognized groups to use The Rock to rally.

"They agree the policy is pretty poorly written," D'Angelo said.

Northwestern's policy on political activity, however, has not been rewritten.  Students are still not allowed to endorse political candidates using university resources.  Instead, the general counsel will not interpret The Rock as a university resource to allow students to be able to endorse candidates before the Feb. 5 Illinois primary elections.

D'Angelo considers this a "minor success," and said he will continue to work to change the political activity policy, which was last updated in April 2003.

—ALICE TRUONG

B-status group funding next week

The executive committee has released its B-status funding recommendations for the quarter.  Financial Vice President Matt Bogusz said the senators' homework was to look at the packet presented by the committee.  There's a big restructuring of the recommendations, with the committee's explanation of why they're recommended the amount of funds.

A total of $98,027 was requested by 42 B-status groups.  The recommendations total $21,420.80.  Among the B-status groups, Dance Marathon requested and was recommended the most amount of funds.  Dance Marathon requested $31,000 — for lighting for five different events —  and the committee recommends $2,000.

Tune in for live blogging of B-status funding next Wednesday.

—ALICE TRUONG

Financial misconducts for FMO, College Feminists

The Student Activities Finance Board found For Members Only and College Feminists guilty of financial misconduct. According to SAFB, all events, programs and publications funded by the board have to take place or be distributed before and during the reading period. FMO's publication, Blackboard, and College Feminists' publication, Juice, were distributed after the reading period. Blackboard was released during finals last quarter, and Juice was released this quarter.

As a result of the financial misconduct, SAFB have released a set of guidelines for both of the publications, including automatic removal of Blackboard's spring funding if the winter issue is released past the reading period. College Feminists is not subjected to the same recommendation because it does not have a spring issue.

"Them not appealing shows they understand and agree with the recommendations," Financial Vice President Aneesa Arshad, a SESP junior.

This is the first time College Feminists has been investigated for financial misconducts, according to Arshad. FMO, however, has have had other financial misconducts in the past.


—ALICE TRUONG

Nondiscrimination bill presented

Weinberg sophomore Patrick Dawson presented a bill to add "gender identity and expression" to the Northwestern's non-discrimination policy.  According to Dawson, NU is one of two "top 15" universities that does not include the gender identity clause in its non-discrimination policy.  The other university is Washington University in St. Louis.

The bill will be debated next Wednesday.

—ALICE TRUONG

Financial Vice President selection committee

Neal Sales-Griffin has experience as a leader with International Student Business Education. He says he has good judgment, he can manage, but none of those skills he can list on a resume can really explain why he’s best for the job.

“The most important thing is passion,” the SESP junior said, “passion for ASG, for Northwestern.”

Five individuals in the Associated Student Government have been nominated for the financial vice president selection committee: Weinberg junior Aamna Anwer, SESP junior Neal Sales-Griffin, Weinberg junior Will Upton, Weinberg junior Allison Cook and SESP senior Ivy LeTourneau. Weinberg sophomore Samir Pendse was nominated but declined, saying he didn't have enough time to dedicate to the job, which would require about five hours per week, according to current Financial Vice President Aneesa Arshad, a SESP senior.

Sales, a SESP junior, has been elected by the ASG senate to the position, making him one of six members to vote on the new financial vice president.

Neal Sales-Griffin has experience as a leader with International Student Business Education. He says he has good judgment, he can manage, but none of those skills he can list on a resume can really explain why he’s best for the job.
“The most important thing is passion,” the SESP junior said, “passion for ASG, for Northwestern.”

"We just want good people," Sales said. "We want good passionate people making good judgment."


—ALICE TRUONG

Transportation poll ready for students on NU Link

UPDATE! Apparently, this issue is gaining steam.  Facebook now has a group dedicated to the voting on the Chicago shuttle.  There is only one member in there as of 8:40 p.m. today.

UPDATE! It's 1:26 a.m., and NU Link has the new poll up.  I'm not exactly sure how long it's been up, but I did write a previous post about three hours ago pointing out it wasn't up.  Also, considering how there have only been two people who voted on the poll, it probably hasn't been up for too long.  (Most students probably aren't on NU Link at this hour on a weekend.)  Anyway, the poll asks the following nine questions:

1. Would you use the intercampus if it were offered on Saturdays?
   
2. How many times a quarter do you go into Chicago on Saturday?
   
3. How many times a quarter would you use a Saturday Intercampus?
   
4. Would you go into Chicago more often if it were offered on Saturdays?
   
5. Please check times for which you would like an inbound route (to Chicago):
   
6. Please check times for which you would like an outbound route (from Chicago):
   
7. What is the maximum you would be willing to pay per one-way ride?
   
8. It is possible that a Saturday Intercampus could stop at other Chicago locations besides the Ward Building. Please select the attractions in Chicago where you would like the bus to stop:
   
9. Do you have any other comments?
   

After you vote, you'll see the number of students who have voted and the percentage of students who voted for each answer.

—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

Transportation poll still not up

UPDATE! There have been talks in Associated Student Government since the beginning of the quarter about posting a transportation poll in NU Link to find out how students would feel about having a weekend Chicago shuttle.  After the second ASG meeting, Wednesday, Jan. 16, the external relations committee chairwoman said a poll would be up the next day.  During the third ASG meeting the week after, Wednesday, Jan. 23, it was announced the poll would be up during that week.  It's currently Saturday night at about 10 p.m., and there still is no transportation poll on NU Link.  

According to a former Daily ASG reporter, a few polls last year weren't up and running when they were supposed to.  Because ASG relies on its technology director to post the polls, the date the polls go up on the Web site is at the discretion of the director.  So, for example, if the director was particularly busy with his/her other responsibilities, the poll could be delayed.

—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

ASG Meeting 1/23

Though the Jena 6 bill may have dominated ASG tonight, another bill was also passsed.
The bill pertained to allowing students the right to political activity on campus.
ASG Clerk James D'Angelo stated that the bill would allow students to support candidates vocally at the rock and also spread the word about a candidate during their campaign.
D'Angelo stated that other campuses have policies that would allow similar things and most universities would allow students this right.
The bill was passed unanimously.
The founder and president of Northwestern University Students for Ron Paul, Andrew Thompson, was present at the meeting and thanked the ASG for passing the bill and giving students the chance to exercise their freedom of political expression.
Thompson started the group in September when he contacted Ron Paul's campaign. He said the group have had to meet informally in places like Starbucks because they are not an ASG recognized group. Despite this though, the group's facebook group already comprises 59 members and 10 to 15 NU students attend meetings on a consistent basis.
"In addition to meetings, we would get the word out in the Evanston and NU communities and make sure people are aware of Ron Paul's campaign," Thompson said.
Thompson said the group planned to paint the Rock later in the week.

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

Debating, passing the Jena 6 bill

With a 75 percent majority, the Free the Jena 6 bill was passed despite about a half hour of debate and an attempt to table the bill. The bill was originally scheduled for 15 minutes of debate.

Many senators have been vocal about their stance on this bill.

Some question the facts that have been presented.

"The whole story isn't being told," Joe Sobecki said. "There are two stories to this."

In his examples, he brought up the reported possibility that the nooses hanging off the tree in Jena, La. were not in fact nooses but rope hung up by a rodeo club.

Other senators who have spoken up against the bill sponsored by Weinberg sophomore Brittany Smith as For Members Only senator have argued the issue shouldn't involve the university.

"The purpose of the resolution is to make a powerful statement," said Weinberg sophomore Jesse Yang who presented the bill.

Ivy LeTourneau who described herself as distanced from the Jena 6 incident as "a white girl from Minnesota" motioned to table the bill because she didn't think it was ASG's role to give voice to the issue.

"We shouldn't even be considering politically weighted bills in ASG," the SESP senior said. "I don't think ASG should be used as a megaphone for groups' message."

She said if the NU Coalition to Free the Jena 6 were an ASG-recognized group and presented the bill, the issue would have more weight.

The motion didn't gain the majority needed for it to be tabled. The bill was then voted on, and with a majority, it was passed.

"I'm really excited," Smith said. "I felt good ASG can make that kind of statement ... It's so blatantly clear it's racial injustice."

FMO President Mark Crain said Howard University, a historically black college, had condemned the outcome of the Jena 6, and that Northwestern — what he considered a "historically white institution" with a 6 percent black population — should follow Howard's lead.

He said the bill acted as a good way for students to get their voices heard.

"I think tonight students spoke out against injustice," the Weinberg junior said.

—ALICE TRUONG

Free Jena 6 bill presented

Weinberg sophomore Jesse Yang presented a bill, entitled Free the Jena 6, to have the Northwestern student body and Associated Student Government officially call for charges dropped against the six black students in the Jena, La. case and to have the student body and ASG call for the resignation of the Jena School District superintendent Reed Walters.

In his speech, Yang called for the university's students and ASG to "condemn the injustices levied against these six men" and "promote awareness and action within the NU community."

Yang described the incidents leading up to the Jena 6 case, by starting with the tree that acted as a symbol of racism when white students hung nooses off the tree a black student sat under.

"If that is not a message of hate," Yang said, "then I for one, don't know what is."

Yang continued to draw parallels between Evanston to Jena.

"Evanston would not be found with a white's only tree," Yang said. He continued by pointing out the divisions between the east and west parts of Evanston.

"Is the east side of Evanston not known as the white side? Is the west side of Evanston not known as the black side?"

These divisions, he argued, also showed economic divisions between the city.

"The real problem is that we're letting racism live on," Yang said.  "I urge you all to condemn this — that in the year 2008, we will not stand for injustice."

—ALICE TRUONG

Political activity bill passed

The agenda of the Associated Student Government agenda changed slightly.  ASG Clerk James D'Angelo presented his bill on political activity instead of the originally-scheduled non-discrimination bill based on gender identity by Patrick Dawson.

Communication junior D'Angelo is working to change the university's official policy on political activity based on its tax-exempt status, which currently does not allow students or student groups to use university resources to support political candidates.

"The general counsel policy on political activity is essentially there isn't any allowed," he said.  "Students should have the right to be politically active on campus.  Students want this right."

D'Angelo said he has been speaking with the General Counsel about everyday.  He also found that about seven or eight universities allow the political activity he wishes to see allowed on campus even with the same tax-exempt status.

With the exception of a couple amendments to change the wording or grammar of the political activity bill, S.R. 0708-03, the bill is passed with unanimous consent.

—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

ASG Preview

Welcome to The Daily's ASG blog!

Tomorrow will be the third Associated Student Government meeting of the Winter Quarter.  Already, ASG senators have discussed many issues they hope to get started on or continue working on, including a weekend Chicago shuttle.

At tomorrow's ASG meeting, senators will introduce two bills.  Both are new orders of business, addressing race and gender issues impacting Northwestern students.

Weinberg sophomore Patrick Dawson will present a bill concerning nondiscrimination based on gender identity.

Weinberg sophomore Brittany Smith will present a bill concerning the Jena 6, a case in which six black teenagers in a Louisiana town were charged in December with beating a white classmate.

The specific details of these bills will come tomorrow during the meeting.

—ALICE TRUONG