SUNY OSWEGO, N.Y. – Tuesday evening marked the 5th Student Association Legislative Session of the spring semester. The number of senators required to begin the meeting was met and following the approval of the minutes and agenda, the meeting promptly began.

The Hip Hop Dance team was the first and only guest to the Senate for the evening. The new dance team, Adrenaline, was just started by students on campus here at SUNY Oswego and they presented to the Senate to request funding for next year. Adrenaline is a dance team dedicated to performing at campus events and eventually they wish to compete in competitions within the state. Their budget currently only supports the new club with advertising funds. Adrenaline turned to the Senate to propose that they receive more funds in the upcoming budget term in order to support the organization. They believe the Senate’s help will allow them to grow in number and allow them to get the word out about what Adrenaline is and the goals of the new organization. The funds request from the Senate are to help with advertising costs and bringing in choreographers to work with the members of the organization. Two senators offered to write a bill for the requested funds which will be voted on at a later date.

In executive reports Student Association President Emily Nassir, shared with senators that new applications are currently being accepted for executive positions within the cabinet on the Student Association Programming Board. Nassir encouraged anyone interested to apply, but also reminded them that they would be required to give up their seat on the Senate if and when accepted for the position. To finish her executive report Nassir also revealed that as of now, it appears that 4 students will be given the opportunity to travel to Saratoga for the SUNY SA conference. This number however does depend on budgeting, which she will keep senators updated as she receives new information. Following Nassir’s report, Matthew Peters, Director of Finance a short report in which he reminded senators that budget proposals for clubs and organizations on campus are due Monday.

In public comment, former senator Jillian Kranz spoke on behalf of SA and their goal to inform as many students as possible about the referendum coming up. This referendum gives students the chance to determine whether the student activity fee should mandatory or voluntary. SA will be tabling in the Marano Campus center for two weeks encouraging students to vote yes for a mandatory student fee, seeing as the student fee funds a great deal on campus. Kranz encouraged all senators to sign up for at least one tabeling time slot to help spread the word about the upcoming voting process for the referendum.

Committee reports followed public comment and The Involvement committee gave an update on Miss-A-Meal for this spring. Students have the opportunity to give up one of their meals for the day (lunch or dinner), and that meal will be donated to help those less fortunate in Oswego. They are currently contacting local businesses in order to gain sponsors for the event.

The meeting then moved swiftly on to Hall Council reports, where senators updated the Senate on events and programs taking place in their halls. Johnson just created and put in place a new constitutional committee who will be present during their Eboard and hall council meeting to ensure that the code is being followed. Waterbury held a “Pie Your RA” event to help raise money to fund programs and events for the hall. Cayuga will now be hosting movie night on a weekly basis, the first one being this Thursday at 7:30pm in the main lounge where they will be showing “Straight outta Compton”. Funnelle updated the Senate on their Male Beauty Pageant event which received an official date and will be held on Thursday April 28th. Closing out hall council reports, Riggs also revealed their plans to host a male beauty pageant called “Mr. Riggs”. The date and time for this event, along with it’s details will be revealed as planning progresses.

General orders for the meeting included four different budgets and bills to be voted on by the Senate.  Men’s Rugby Club was the first general order of the evening and their proposed budget included funds for entry fees that are mandatory in order for them to play in competitions and for the tournament they will be hosting here at SUNY Oswego, with the help of the Women’s Rugby team. The original budget also included funds for new jerseys and equipment, but was later taken out, seeing as the club can request funds for it, in the upcoming budget year. The proposed bill passed by general consent and the Men’s Rugby team will be receiving their requested funds.

The second general order for the evening was the National Broadcast Society, who requested funds to help them send three members to a convention in LA this month. They requested funds from the Senate to help with the travel and hotel costs for the students attending the event. While in debate on the bill, many senators expressed concerns with the budget in the proposed bill. Many senators felt that the amount of funds being asked for was too high considering only three students were attending the conference and those three students have already attended the conference last year. The goal of helping organizations with funds is to impact as many students as possible, yet the funds for the National Broadcast Society would only be helping three students. Other senators expressed concerns over the need to be mindful over the budget SA has to help fund organizations and many felt that due to the fact that the National Broadcast Society had stated that they would attend the conference whether they received the funding or not, was off putting since there are other organizations who don’t have the ability to fund their own events. Following the debate of the bill, the voting process began and revealed that the bill had failed, therefore the National Broadcast Society will not be receiving the funds they requested.

American Sign Language Club’s proposed bill and budget was the third general order. ASL Club requested funding to help with an event taking place in April, featuring a comedy show by comedian Keith Wann, the son of two deaf parents. The goal of this event is to teach students about the deaf culture in a fun and friendly way. ASL Club requested funds to help with ticket costs to ensure that event is not overbooked, and interpreters for the event to ensure that each audience member has the same experience. The proposed bill and budget passed by general consent and the club will be receiving the funds to help with the event.

The fourth and final general order for the evening was the proposed bill and budget for PRSSA, Public Relations Society of America. PRSSA requested funds to help purchase shirts and tie-dyeing supplies for their event taking place during “Comm Week”. Students will be given the chance to tie-dye their own tee shirt, in hopes to encourage more student involvement and promote the School of Communication. The bill also passed by general consent and they will receive their funds to help with their tie-dyeing event.

The meeting came to a close following the passing of three out of the four proposed bills and budgets. SA meets every Tuesday evening at 6pm, in Lanigan 106. All meetings are open to the public and students are encouraged to attend to express their views and concerns.

OSWEGO, NY- Student employees at Littlepage Dining hall are expressing concerns about the conditions they work in. According to student employees, a letter was sent out by Auxiliary services addressing a student who came forward on behalf of multiple students. Many of whom had problems with the way managers treated them during their shifts.

The unidentified managers allegedly presented themselves with bad attitudes and frequently took out their frustration on student employees.

“I don’t want to be around in a workplace that’s negative, and sometimes, it gets a little too negative.” said Anisha Melton, a concerned student employee at Littlepage Dining Hall.

In a response to the allegations, Oswego’s Director of Dining services, Ruth Stevens, sent a mass letter to the student employees at Littlepage. The letter asks for feedback while providing resources for students including herself, for students who are unhappy. The letter is an effort to maintain a positive work environment and students can choose to remain confidential.

“I can learn, (and) our managers can learn.” Stevens said. “We can become better at what we do and we can find a better way of doing things. I think communication is key.”

Auxiliary services is the largest student employer on campus with over five hundred student employees serving it’s five residential dining centers.