ASG senate set to resume

BY PATRICK DEIGNAN
SEPT. 8, 2007

Miami University’s Associated Student Government (ASG) is looking to revamp its funding procedures and simplify government proceedings as Senate meetings reconvene tonight for the 2007-08 school year.

ASG will work to repair its reputation after former Vice President of Management John Woods was impeached last year for allocating $77,000 of funds to three student organizations, including $50,000 for a fashion show for the Miami Fashion and Merchandising Club in which Woods was a member.

This year, Student Body President Jens Sutmöller and his executive cabinet hope to tackle the funding issue right from the start. Sutmöller says he will encourage the Senate to pass legislation to make funding “more equitable with definite hard rules.”

One of the funding changes proposed is a move to a semester-based, two-cycle system. Each student organization will submit its funding requests twice each school year. In addition, a maximum funding request of $9,000 per cycle will be enforced. This would make it impossible for some organizations to receive $50,000 for a fashion show while other organizations only receive a few hundred dollars. Under the new plan, an established appeals process will be put into place so that student organizations which are not happy with their funding can understand how to appeal before the Funding Committee.

“Finally people will understand how the funding process works,” Sutmöller said. “Right now only those who truly understand it can get money.”

Vice President of Student Affairs Dennis Roberts, who serves as an adviser to ASG, pointed out that last year’s funding mishap is only a part of a larger, overarching problem.

“One issue that will be in the background this year is making ASG a more responsible and engaged government,” Roberts said. “We need to find ways of holding ASG accountable to students.”

Simplifying student government will help, Sutmöller explained. To do this, Sutmöller plans on cutting out some of the unnecessary formalities at Senate meetings that have tied up ASG in the past.

For example, calling each other “Mr. Senator” and “Ms. Senator” is unnecessary and is not what Miami students are looking for in their government, Sutmöller said.

“If you’re friends with someone named John, just call him John.” Sutmöller said.

Sutmöller hopes that fewer formalities and a simpler government will increase student participation and senator-to-senator communication in the upcoming year.

“ASG needs to be the easiest organization to understand,” Sutmöller said.

Funding and organization are not the only issues that ASG will tackle this year. Off-campus Senator Seema Choudhary believes ASG will also be more in touch with the city of Oxford.

“This year we’ll get everything in gear with students picking up their trash, the beer pong table issue, and getting more lights on campus. Security is always an issue,” Choudhary said.

As an off-campus senator, Choudhary deals firsthand with landlords and neighbors, trying to establish respect between students and the surrounding community.

Many of the conflicts that arise each year stem from alcohol abuse. Roberts believes that this year ASG will look into alcohol’s role on campus as well as in the surrounding community.

Sutmöller also wants to focus on parking during 2007-08. With more and more Miami students bringing cars to school, parking is an inconvenience that often stresses relations between students and the city.

“My goal is to overturn all first tickets,” Sutmöller said. “I also want to overturn any parking ticket given outside of the health center. Sick students shouldn’t need to worry about finding a parking spot.”

Sutmöller will work with the Parking and Appeals Committee to help students resolve disputed parking tickets and reconcile some of the parking issues affecting students.

Of course, if Miami students aren’t aware of ASG’s efforts they might not appeal their parking tickets, Sutmöller explained. In the past, poor student participation and communication have plagued ASG’s influence on campus. This year, Sutmöller hopes to use student media to reach out to students who otherwise might not be aware of ASG’s efforts.

Sutmöller hopes that will soon change as ASG Senate meetings begin tonight and run every Tuesday night at 6 p.m. in 111 Harrison Hall. Meetings are open to all.