First steps for Relays concert, FYI bylaw changes adjust intern roles for next year

Student Senate will help fund the Court Avenue concert on April 27, but it will do so in a larger way than suggested by the Student Fees and Allocation Committee.

The downtown concert has become an annual Relays event and is presented by the Student Activities Board.

SFAC recommended Senate allocate $2,500 to help offset costs associated with the concert, but Senate voted to amend the motion to allocate the full $5,000 originally requested by SAB. The motion then passed by acclamation.

“This is a very hard event to plan,” Sen. Michael Riebel said. “You don’t just appeal to the student body but the whole community. To get this one-time funding is crucial to keep this event climbing.”

Three other campus organizations also received allocations in last Thursday’s session.

Habitat for Humanity was allocated $813 for travel costs associated with an alternative spring break service trip to Colorado. The Drake Sportsman’s Club was allocated $420 for registration costs associated with attending Iowa State University’s Spring Shoot. The Drake Pharmacy United Group of Students organization was allocated $1,701.63 to cover equipment and supply costs required to host the Drake University Campus Health Screening.

Student Senate also passed two bylaw amendments that will make noticeable changes this fall.

The First-Year Interest Committee Amendment will change the bylaws to read that each member of the FYI committee will now be assigned to “shadow and assist” a senator at-large, similar to the current intern positions.

FYI committee member Natalie Larson expressed the current committee’s support of the motion.

“The whole FYI is on board for this change,” Larson said. “We think it will strengthen FYI as a whole and Senate as a whole.”

However, by combining the responsibilities of the FYI committee and the senator interns, the change would ultimately eliminate 10 positions from Student Senate. Vice President of Student Life Matt Van Hoeck addressed this issue, but he said that he felt the result would be positive.

“What this does is creates 10 very engaged students,” Van Hoeck said. “It’s removing 10 positions, but I think it’s a really good change.”

Also, The Student Affairs Handbook Amendment to Address Ad Hoc Organizations was changed to ease the process for temporary organizations to form in order to “carry out a specified task” and then “cease to exist once it is completed.”

This mostly applies to collegiate political candidate organizations.

“It basically comes around every four years when there is an election,” Organizational Sen. Alex Hendzel said.