By Peter Baugher
Staff Writer
Student Government passed bills to fund election day events and the Harmonium Project, in addition to providing updates on Grad Week and the Dennis Prager event at its April 12 meeting.
Spring Bill 29, titled “Allocation of Funds to FUSG for Election Day,” originally allocated $993.25 to provide the presidential candidates with coffee, donuts, pizza and soda so that each candidate and their team could set up tables outside the J.C. to engage with students and encourage them to vote.
Upon its adoption, the bill provided 45 large pizzas and 360 donuts to the candidates and their teams, but Sen. Paul Ward motioned to amend the bill to only provide 180 dozen donuts and 30 large pizzas, bringing the cost down from the original $993.25. The cost of the amended bill was unstated.
Last week, Spring Bill 19, which deals with an allocation of funds to the Harmonium Project, was introduced but was later tabled due to lack of funds in the FUSG contingency.
However, the contingency was confirmed to be high enough this week to provide the funding laid out in the original bill.
After the reading of the bill, Sen. Andrew VanDevere moved to suspend bylaws and thus allow the bill to pass without the presence of a group representative because the representative attended last week’s meeting. The motion and the bill passed.
Pres. Jared Johnson provided an update on Dennis Prager’s planned talk on campus. This update came on the heels of students complaining that Prager’s viewpoints are contrary to Catholic teaching and Student Government passing an advisory resolution condemning some of his positions, particularly on pornography.
According to Johnson, the university talked directly to Prager and told him that he cannot come to campus if he wants to defend the views on pornography.
Johnson also said that a parent of a Franciscan student donated the funds to allow Prager to come to campus.
Johnson said that the advisory resolution, introduced by Ward, affected the university’s decision-making process and that the administration almost canceled the event as a result.
The administration asked Johnson to open the talk and introduce Prager at the event, which will take place on April 20.
Members of the Grad Week Committee reported that they are working to finalize Grad Week plans after receiving some pushback regarding alcohol consumption during the festivities. The committee still plans to facilitate two bars for the event.
Elections for next year’s student president, vice-president and senators will take place on April 17 in the J.C. Williams Center.