By Peter Baugher
Staff Writer
Franciscan University Student Government (FUSG) held its first public meeting of the semester Wednesday, Jan. 25, at 11:00 a.m. in the St. Leo Room at the J.C. Williams Center.
Senators passed the first three bills of the Spring 2023 semester at the Wednesday meeting. The first, sponsored by Sen. James Duarte, allocated $300 to the Irish Dance Club for the purchase of skirts and leotards. Irish Dance Club Vice President Bethany Ballard was present at the passing of the bill.
Senators also passed a $900 dollar grant, sponsored by Sen. Paul Ward, to FATAL Ultimate Frisbee Club for supplies. FUSG allocated $200 each for a speaker, USA Ultimate Membership, and gas, as well as $300 for hotel rooms.
Duarte clarified that FUSG will be covering only these expenses for FATAL, as the club has funding from multiple sources.
Finally, senators passed a bill, sponsored by Sen. Makena Wisniewski, to allocate gas money to the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corp at Franciscan University for travel to the off-campus training center. FUSG calculated that the program needed $545.60, assuming the cadets travel 80 miles per week with gas costing 62 cents a mile and the program lasting 11 weeks a semester.
During the meeting, Treasurer Peter Sammons reported FUSG’s contingency budget to be approximately $34,000, with rollover funds totaling $12,000. Six thousand dollars were allocated for the fireside lounge renovation, $30,000 for club budgets and $1,000 for other bills.
Vice President Caleb Rider noted that FUSG needs to conserve funding throughout the semester for graduation week and other expenses.
The Majority Leader announced that the Outreach Committee Chair is up for election. No committees presented a report to the floor.
FUSG President Jared Johnson announced the creation of two large committees beginning the week of Jan. 29, including the Grad Week Committee, led by Justice Emilia DeGroat, and the Franciscan 40 committee.