Associated Student Government senators will hear debate on eight new bills – and hear from Ald. Art Newman (1st) – when they meet for their regular meeting tonight.
The alderman said he will discuss projects he has advocated that have benefited students, including bringing a movie theater to downtown Evanston, working for additional police protection on Clark Street and increasing parking.
“My message will be that I’ve done a good job for the ward,” he said. “I think the movie theater has been one of the best projects for students in a long time.”
Newman is opposed in the April municipal elections by Kellogg Prof. Allan Drebin, who spoke to senators last week.
ASG President Adam Humann, a member of Drebin’s campaign committee, invited Newman to speak.
“I think he’ll talk about the highlights of his career so far,” said Humann, a Weinberg senior. “I know the Senate will be very respectful.”
Senators also are scheduled to vote on two bills from last week.
One calls for reducing prices of renting audiovisual equipment from Norris Sound & Sight and the other seeks improvements to Willie’s Too.
Then senators will consider new business – eight wide-ranging bills covering issues from hiring a lawyer for students to creating CTECs for administrators.
Senate Speaker Richard Caldarone, who set a goal of bringing 21 bills to the Senate floor this quarter, said he expects the meeting to “fulfill the promise the Senate has shown all year.”
“Winter quarter is usually Senate’s most productive quarter,” he said. “(The meeting) will go a long way towards meeting our goal.”
Polish-American Student Alliance Sen. Art Janik wrote a bill that calls for developing CTEC evaluations for university staff members who work closely with student groups.
“This would allow students to express their opinions of staff members,” said Janik, a Medill junior. “It could work as an incentive for administrators to improve their relationship with students or to get positive feedback on the job they are already doing.”
Also at the meeting, Humann will propose bills seeking to create a 24-hour sexual assault hotline, to fund a part-time lawyer on campus and to establish a committee to solicit student input on information technology issues.
Humann said the Undergraduate Budget Priorities Committee recommended that ASG and NU hire a lawyer to provide professional legal advice to students. The attorney would work six to eight hours per week and be paid for by funds from ASG’s Winter Quarter budget. NU would provide office space and publicity.
The remaining bills concern dorm repair fees, dorm bathroom cleaning, a Janik-sponsored resolution on “university transparency,” and ASG support of the Congressional Higher Education Act of 1998, which denies financial aid to any student convicted of a drug offense.
