Spring Break
Petition sparks debate
Mark Schaaf
Issue date: 9/15/05 Section: Campus News
Student Senators rallied to support Hurricane Katrina victims during their first meeting of the year Monday night in the Tamarack Room of Davies Center.
Student Senate President Aaron Olson challenged every senator, director and those in executive positions to donate $10 to a fund supporting Katrina victims.
The Senate then would give any evacuee attending UW-Eau Claire the money for whatever they wish to spend it on.
No students from hurricane-inflicted schools have enrolled yet, and if none attend Eau Claire they will give the money to the Red Cross or other charitable organizations to help Katrina victims, Olson said.
A second effort introduced by senators Andrew Werthmann and Brandon Buchanan suggesting that $1 from each students' student segregated fees be donated to Hurricane Katrina. The resolution was sent to the organizations committee, where it will remain at least until next week's meeting.
Werthmann, who along with Buchanan had collected over 1,300 signatures supporting the effort, argued during the end-of-meeting announcements that the Senate's decision was reminiscent of the slow bureaucracy that hampered the relief effort on the Gulf Coast.
Student Senate Vice President De Anna Breault interrupted, saying this kind of speech was not what the announcements were intended for.
Wednesday, Olson said he met with Eau Claire administrators about the resolution and said that it is illegal to use segregated fees for philanthropic purposes.
He added that many students who signed the petition were confused about what exactly they were signing.
Werthmann disagreed about the legality.
"Segregated fees are designated by students to be allocated by students and this is an effort on behalf of the students to say that ... they want to help the victims of Katrina," Werthmann said. "I'm upset because the student body president, vice president and some of the other people felt that we had too much initiative, and we were actually trying to take on something quite large and they wanted to take control of it."
In other Senate news, there are three on-campus and three off-campus senator positions. Anyone wishing to apply can stop by the Student Senate office in Davies Center 132.
Student Senate President Aaron Olson challenged every senator, director and those in executive positions to donate $10 to a fund supporting Katrina victims.
The Senate then would give any evacuee attending UW-Eau Claire the money for whatever they wish to spend it on.
No students from hurricane-inflicted schools have enrolled yet, and if none attend Eau Claire they will give the money to the Red Cross or other charitable organizations to help Katrina victims, Olson said.
A second effort introduced by senators Andrew Werthmann and Brandon Buchanan suggesting that $1 from each students' student segregated fees be donated to Hurricane Katrina. The resolution was sent to the organizations committee, where it will remain at least until next week's meeting.
Werthmann, who along with Buchanan had collected over 1,300 signatures supporting the effort, argued during the end-of-meeting announcements that the Senate's decision was reminiscent of the slow bureaucracy that hampered the relief effort on the Gulf Coast.
Student Senate Vice President De Anna Breault interrupted, saying this kind of speech was not what the announcements were intended for.
Wednesday, Olson said he met with Eau Claire administrators about the resolution and said that it is illegal to use segregated fees for philanthropic purposes.
He added that many students who signed the petition were confused about what exactly they were signing.
Werthmann disagreed about the legality.
"Segregated fees are designated by students to be allocated by students and this is an effort on behalf of the students to say that ... they want to help the victims of Katrina," Werthmann said. "I'm upset because the student body president, vice president and some of the other people felt that we had too much initiative, and we were actually trying to take on something quite large and they wanted to take control of it."
In other Senate news, there are three on-campus and three off-campus senator positions. Anyone wishing to apply can stop by the Student Senate office in Davies Center 132.