The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, March 28, 1984, Image 16

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    Student Government
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Pavilion offices work well
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TUDENT
NMENT
M UNIVERSITY
Gosper calls it a “catch all build-
By LESLIE MARTIN
Reporter
After almost a year in the Pa
vilion office, Student Govern
ment officials say the new loca
tion has been good and bad.
The good part is they now have
new facility with plenty of
room. The bad part is they had
to give up their conveniently lo
cated office in 216 MSC.
“The move as been nice as far
as providing us with more space
but the MSC had more traffic
and it was easier for students to
stop by,” says Diane Baumbach,
senate speaker pro tern.
But Baumbach figures the
advantages of the new offices
outweigh the drawbacks.
“The senators aren’t under
each other’s feet now, and when
we moved it relieved the crowed
conditions and tension in the
Student Programs Office,” she
says.
Dr. Carolyn Adair, the stu
dent government adviser, had
been looking for larger offices
for sometime, and the reno
vated Animal Husbandry Pavil
ion finally provided it.
Melissa Gosper, executive
vice president, says the new lo
cation has had little effect on
SG.
“The Pavilion isn’t the MSC
yet,” she says, “but give it time.
We now have more room, more
phones, and nicer facilities. For
several years there had been a
need for a new office, so when
the second floor of the Pavilion
was made available, we moved.”
Cosper says students quickly
became accustomed to Student
Government’s new location.
“They just make two stops to
get whatever they need instead
of one,” she says.
The Pavilion houses more
_ than Student Government.
ing .
“KANM radio station is right
next door to our offices and
sometimes when they get rock
ing, our walls start shaking,” she
says.
One thing that hasn’t
changed in the new location is
Student Government’s work
load.
Student center fee increase on ballot
By ED ALANIS
Senior Staff Writer
In addition to electing new
leaders in the upcoming elec
tion, students also will be
making a decision concerning
the money they pay to the
University.
The University Center Fee
Referendum is up for a vote,
and students have the final
decision on the future course
of the University Center and
its programs.
Students currently pay $10
per semester ($5 per summer
session) for a student center
complex fee. This fee has not
increased in more than 10
years, a fact which is begin
ning to take its toll on the in
creased programs and facili
ties of the University Center.
Last year the center oper
ated with a $121,000 deficit.
A special reserve fund with
money from previous years
when the center operated at a
profit has provided some
much needed relief. How
ever, this fund has rapidly
dwindled, and it is expected
that by Sept. 1 the reserve
fund will be so depleted that
the center will be unable to
continue to offer its present
services without increasing
rates.
Services offered by the
University Center include
check cashing, video games,
bowling, banquet facilities,
meeting rooms and ballroom
facilities for formals and mix
ers.
More money is needed,
and students will be footing
the bill. What students will be
voting on is how to foot the
bill. ^
Three options are avail
able:
• Increase the Student
Center Complex fee by $6
over a three year period. This
option would raisfe the fee to
$12 per semester in the fall of
1984, $14 per semester in the
fall of 1985 and then to $16
per semester beginning in the
fall of 1986.
• Increase the Student
Center Complex fee by $10
over a three year period. Stu
dent leaders favor this op
tion, as it provides the soun
dest financial future for the
center. The fee would be
raised to $14 per semester in
fall 1984, then to $18 per se
mester in fall 1985 and finally
to $20 per semester begin
ning fall 1986. Half of the in
crease during the first two
years ($2 per student per se
mester) would be placed in a
new reserve fund, controlled
solely by students.
• Leave the Student Cen
ter Complex fee as it is, and
either decrease services pro
vided or charge more for
them on an individual basis.
With this option, students will
not have to pay more at regis
tration, but when they want
to use the center it will cost
them more. This option may
also result in a decrease in
some of the free services,
such as check cashing.
Eric Conner, executive vice
president for administration
and student coordinator of
the referendum, estimates
that within a four-year period
the new reserve fund would
have more than $ 1 million in
it, if the second option is
voted in. This would enable
the center to expand and of
fer many more services to the
students.
“I urge students to sacrifice
a little now to build for the fu
ture,” Conner said.
Because this referendum
involves an increase of stu
dent fees, it had to be ap
proved by the Texas Legis
lature. The Legislature set a
ceiling on the fee of $20 per
semester, pending student
approval.
Poll locations
Voters in this year’s student
body elections will have only
three polling places to choose
from, instead of last year’s
nine.
The Student Government
office explained that there
are fewer polls this year be
cause there were problems
last year with staffing so
many polls, causing two polls
to be closed before the elec
tion ended.
This year’s polling places
are:
• the first floor of the Me
morial Student Center
• the first floor of the Pa
vilion
• in front ofSbisa.
The polls open at 9 a.m.
Tuesday and close at 6 p.m.,
the same hours they will be
open Wednesdaay.
In order to vote, students
must give their I.D. card to
the officials at the poll, who
will punch it with a specially
shaped hole punch to elimi
nate multiple voting.
Any student can vote at
any poll.
Ballots will once again be
computer forms with circles
to be filled in with a number 2
pencil, supplied at the polling
place.
All active campaigning
must stop at midnight to
night, and no campaign
material may be worn at the
polling places. All campaign
signs, flyers and posters must
be taken down by Thursday.
Voter’s
guide
The Voter’s Guide is a spe
cial supplement to The Bat
talion. It was produced by
members of The Battalion
with the aid of Student Gov
ernment and the candidates
themselves.
Don’t forget to vote — and
when you do, please use the
guide to assist you.
On the cover
The Sterling C. Evans Library is a familiar
landmark to many Texas A&M students, and
was captured here by Battalion photographer
Dean Saito.
Contents
Class officers Page 7
Junior leaders Page 5
Presidents Page 3
Representatives Page 8
Senior yell leaders Page 4
Vice presidents Page 6