The Associated Students of the University of Wyoming voted unanimously Tuesday night, with the exception of one abstention, on three bills and two Recognized Student Organization funding requests.
Following an announcement from ASUW President Joel Defebaugh to “tread lightly” in regards to shortcomings of the finance policy, the Budget and Planning Committee recommended that the senate suspend the finance policy in regards to the 30-day requirement.
According the wording in the finance policy, many of the RSOs applying for funds would not be eligible due to a 30-day notice requirement. The Budget and Planning Committee recommended the suspension until legislation can be drafted that fixes the issue.
The senate voted unanimously to suspend the finance policy, 28-0.
The policy suspension allowed the senate to fund two campus events that did not have the funding applications submitted 30 days in advance.
The Chinese Scholars and Students Association was awarded $6,400 for the mid-autumn festival. Organization Vice President Ziyu Lu said the mid-autumn festival will host workshops on writing Chinese letters with calligraphy and opportunities meant to foster communication between countries. Lu also said karaoke had been eliminated this year.
“While I am really sad that Chinese karaoke has come to an end, I am very excited for this event,” Sen. Jaymie Sheehan said.
ASUW awarded Alpha Epsilon Delta $5,240 toward a drive focused on recruiting people for bone marrow donations. The money will be going toward lab fees that test for preliminary matches, which normally cost about $100 per person. The UW president’s office also has donated $5,000 toward the effort.
Both funding board requests passed unanimously, with Sen. Jaryd Unangst abstaining on the bone marrow registration event.
With minimal discussion, the senate passed three bills unanimously. One bill modified election dates in the case of a holiday. The second bill updated procedures in case an office position becomes vacant and there are no obvious replacements. The third established an ex-officio seat for UW Faculty Senate at ASUW meetings.
“I think this would be highly beneficial and I highly appreciate that faculty senate has taken such an interest in attending these meetings,” Unangst said.
