Two presentations from faculty and the approval of 16 budget requests were the main topics of discussion in the Feb. 23 USG general council meeting.
Government Relations Vice President Doug Hennes spoke to the representatives about a possible increase in state grant funding. Gov. Mark Dayton recently proposed changes to the portion of the state budget, which could mean an increase of upward of $700 for St. Thomas students who currently are receiving a grant.
Hennes encouraged the council to have people sign up for a meeting with state legislators at the capitol on March 7. Registration runs through March 3.
Following Hennes’ presentation, the council heard Lori Friedman from the Office of International Students and Scholars. Friedman spoke on the need to better support international students, citing that upward of four international students have been directly affected by the recent U.S. travel ban. She added many more were affected indirectly, and thus could feel unwelcome here.
“We are the host country, and they are our guests,” she said. “It’s our job to make them feel welcome.”
The council offered suggestions such as connecting international students to alumni who have shared a similar experience. No formal solutions were reached.
As the final order of business, Financial Affairs Vice President Chris Meader presented club budget requests. All amounts were approved.
The Advertising Federation received $300. The African National Student Association received $2,670. The Computer Science Club received $3500, plus an additional $440 for a campus-wide event.
Health and Human Performance received $2713.20. Heritage of Latino Americans received $1260. Public Health received $825. The Sigma Tau Delta Literary Club received $1447.95.
Students for Justice and Peace received $693. St. Paul’s Outreach received $4,032. St. Thomas Veterans Affairs received $483.
Six organizations requested funds for conferences and competitions. CRU received $1,500. Delta Sigma Pi received $922.50. The Pre-Law Society received $500. The QSA received $2500. Women’s Club Volleyball received $75.
Noah Brown can be reached at brow7736@stthomas.edu