By Peter Baugher
Distribution Manager
Franciscan University Student Government (FUSG) met for their regular weekly meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 27 in the St. Leo Room in the JC Williams Center.
Senators passed Fall Bill 3, which allocated $1500 to the Young Americans Foundation (YAF) to help sponsor Yeonmi Park to speak at Franciscan on Oct. 9.
Sen. Maria Tortorelli said, “The speaker has a global reach. She has spoken to the UN, she is within BBC’s 100 top women and she is a TED speaker and has been on Joe Rogan’s podcast.”
FUSG also passed Fall Bill 6, confirming Faith Sirilla, junior, as Chief Justice as well as Fall Bill 5, Fall Bill 7, and Fall Bill 8 to confirm, senior Ryan Kay, sophomore Caroline McGrogan, and junior Nick Patryn, respectively, to the position of Justice.
In an internal election by a 6 to 1 margin, the senate elected sophomore Kenneth Gumerson to the position of Sophomore Senator.
In a second internal election, the senate elected Senior Jacob Smith to the position of senior senator by a vote of 7 to 1.
Vice President, junior Celine Najm administered the oath of office to Sirilla, who in turn administered the oath to the other Justices, Sen. Gumerson, Sen. Smith, and the recently elected freshmen senators.
During the president’s comments, Pres., senior, Gabe Denley said that Dr. Dan Dentino, Vice Pres. of Student Life, attended the meeting to answer questions from student government about the expansion of the capital campaign.
On Sept. 20, Denley announced that the university invited FUSG to a press conference that concerns the university’s recent capital campaign
According to Denley, FUSG decided to decline that invitation.
“I was excited about it when I talked to Gabe. I was waiting, like at the phone for a call back from like the girl I asked to prom before she said, ‘No!’ on the phone when she called me back.” Said Dentino
“One concern that was raised over and over again was the addition and expansion of Christ the King chapel,” said Chief Justice Sirilla.
Sirilla continued “I know countless students, alumni and faculty who have concerns about the addition to the chapel especially because of the original plans for an entire new chapel.”
Sen. Maria Sammons said, “Celine and Gabe’s campaign was ‘beauty on campus’ and anything you bring up fundraising the students are automatically going to think, ‘our chapel is not that beautiful’ and there is just not that much beauty on campus.”
Sen. Joe Pendergast said, “Expanding educational opportunities are important…but we should be first and foremost Catholic and that includes the source and summit. I just think it would be more becoming of the university to have a really beautiful space for that.”
“And also, with the expansion, there are just worries about what that is going to do for the mission and culture of the university. If we are trying to expand a lot of engineering and things like that, is going to have any effect on our liberal arts culture?” Pendergrast added.
“I have not talked to a single student in the past three years that thought that Christ the King was a beautiful chapel,” said Sen. Jacob Smith.
At 12:05 p.m., Vice President Najm interjected with a request for a motion to adjourn the meeting, saying that the meeting already ran overtime.