Speakers visited the Student Governing Association to discuss student financial assistance and recycling on Thursday night. The meeting also included information on the upcoming SGA elections as well as the introduction of new legislation and information on various updates to campus.
The meeting, held in the Big 12 Room of the K-State Student Union, opened with a presentation from Jodi Kaus, director of Powercat Financial Planning. Kaus told the senators about a new program, SALT, that any K-State student or alum can use to keep track of loan data and maintain a budget. The program also helps students search for jobs and learn about identity theft.
“It is important to support students at critical times,” Kaus said.
Kaus made a case to the SGA that because PFC helps more students every year, it is important that the organization expand its facilities. PFC’s offices are currently located in the basement of Hale Library where there are no phones or cellphone service, making it difficult to aid students fully, Kaus said.
Bill Spiegel, custodial and recycling supervisor, presented K-State’s Recyclemania program at the meeting. The 10-week national competition will kick off on Feb. 3 and last until March 30.
According to Spiegel, more than 600 colleges nationwide participate in the annual push for recycling, including the University of Kansas. Spiegel said he hopes to recycle more than KU but admitted that President Kirk Schulz has a higher goal in mind.
“Last year we increased by 5 percent,” Spiegel said. “This year President Schulz wants to increase by 10 percent.”
In order to help the university reach Schulz’s goal, Spiegel said starting Feb. 4, K-Staters can put all recyclables except glass into campus recycling bins for pickup.
“Hopefully this makes more incentive for students and faculty,” Spiegel said. “We can make this happen as a team.”
SGA senator Megan Walden, senior in industrial engineering, gave information about upcoming SGA elections. Forms to run for student senator or student body president are due by Feb. 15 at 4 p.m., and information for how to run is available at k-state.edu/elections.
Student body president Nate Spriggs, senior in agricultural economics, said various upgrades to the university have been discussed recently and tentative plans should be shared soon. These projects include talks of building a new residence hall and conducting focus groups on the matter as well as the K-State Student Union renovation, which will have an impact on student privilege fees, but no definitive plans have yet been made.
Another change to campus could include a different Union bookstore. Varney’s will stop providing services on June 31 of this year if the university and the store do not negotiate a new contract. Varney’s and another company will both make presentations next week to compete for the new contract.
The final action of the night was to introduce new legislation. Proposed bills included allocating funds to student organizations like KSU Navigators, which requested funds for a trip to restore a camp in Colorado Springs that was damaged in a fire, and Pussycat Press, which requested funding to attend a printmaking conference. Other bills included updates SGA statutes and another for SNAC to bring in a speaker during Eating Disorder Awareness Week.
All of these bills will be debated and voted on during the next SGA meeting on Feb. 7 at 7 p.m. in the Big 12 Room in the Union.
