The St. Thomas Undergraduate Student Government passed four amendments and approved funding for 16 clubs at its Feb. 8 general council meeting.

USG approved an update to its bylaws to reflect the change it made to the voting process last spring.

“Recently, we voted to change the ballot system so that students can self-select the class with which they identify, rather than be subject to voting on class-dependent positions based on their credits earned,” vice president of academic affairs JB Stender said in his amendment proposal. “This was a solution to a problem that many students had: They identified with one class, but their credits earned forced them to vote for officers of another class.”

Now the bylaws officially state that students can choose which class they identify with when voting for USG positions.

An amendment to approve the addition of the student veteran representative to the general council passed in a unanimous vote. There is already an Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps representative on USG, but the student veteran position would include all branches of the armed forces.

An amendment to raise club internal food allocation funds passed as well. Clubs currently can receive up to six dollars per member a semester, but that will increase to seven dollars and fifty cents in the future.

Additionally, an amendment to change conference and competition funds allocation for clubs passed. Currently, standard clubs can spend $250 per person and up to $2500 at a 75 percent reimbursement rate, spending no more than $3000 for the whole year. Exclusive clubs with auditions or tryouts can spend $250 per person, up to $2500 at a 50 percent reimbursement rate and spend no more than $3000 all year.

The new amendment allows standard clubs to spend $250 per person, $2750 at a 75 percent reimbursement rate and allocates $3750 for the whole year. Exclusive clubs can spend $250 per person, $2000 at a 75 percent reimbursement rate and $2500 all year.

For club internal requests, USG also approved $372.84 in funding for the Mock Trial Club, $1,650 for Sports Business Club, $540 for the Entrepreneurial Society, $945 for the Ethical Questions Club, $4520.25 for the Investment Club, $2068.50 for the Theatre Club, $819 for Hola, and $885 for Active Minds.

In campus wide funds requests, USG approved $600 for the Computer Science Club to host a game night.

In conference and competition requests, USG approved $500 for Students for Human Life, $2193.75 for Campus Outreach, $1750 for Queer-Straight Alliance, $673.50 for Mock Trial Club, $2000 for Enactus, $2500 for Cru, and $600 for Men’s Volleyball.

Solveig Rennan can be reached at renn6664@stthomas.edu