Tuesday evening marked the tenth Student Association Meeting of the Senate this semester. The meeting was called to order and following the quorum begin met, the approval of the meeting minutes and agenda, the meeting was well underway.

The Outdoor Club and Ecology Club were the first and only guest to the Senate for the evening. Outdoor club is a student run organization focused on outdoor adventures and Ecology club is a student run organization focused on studying and preserving the ecosystem. Both clubs gave a joint presentation requesting funds to help purchase four to six kayaks for next semester. The kayaks will be stored at Rice Creek allowing both clubs to have access to them, which they feel would be very beneficial because the Outdoor and Ecology Clubs spend a lot of time there. After presenting their budget to the Senate, they were informed that the Student Association does not have enough funds in their account to fulfill the funds that the two clubs proposed. The Senate however, encouraged both clubs to request the funds needed through their club budget for next year. Although their demands couldn’t be met this semester, the Senate is willing to work with their budgets for next semester to ensure they have the funds for the fall.

Following the guest to the Senate, Executive Reports were next on the meeting’s agenda. Student Association President Emily Nassir was the first to deliver her report in which she addressed the student concerns on the choices of OzFest Performers for this year. Nassir stated that she is aware that some students are unhappy with the choices for performers which include, Dej Loaf, Rich Homie Quan and Flo Rida. Nassir reminded senators that it is important to present a positive image about OzFest. A negative image, especially when coming from a senator, can discourage students from purchasing tickets and attending the event. Senators should be aware that they are representing SA and should be cautious about projecting their personal opinion surrounding OzFest because it can affect the public opinion and how students view the event. Nassir also announced that Lil’ Duval will no longer be hosting the event and there is no intention of replacing him for the vent.

Shelby Gallaro, SA Vice President was the next to deliver her executive report. Gallaro announced that on April 19th, President Stanley will be attending the SA meeting to address the Senate. Closing her executive report Gallaro announced the starting plans of getting more involved in homecoming weekend. Senators wrote down various ideas on activities or ways the Student Association could participate in homecoming week. Gallaro will review the ideas and discuss them at the next meeting.

Closing out executive reports was SA Director of Finance. Peters discussed the prices for OzFest tickets and announced that student tickets will only cost  $15 and tickets for the public will cost $25. If you plan to purchase tickets the day of, students will pay $25 and the public will pay $35. Peters announced that students can only purchase one ticket at the student price, any other tickets purchased after that will be the public price.

The meeting moved on to Committee Reports following the end of Peters’s executive report. Rules and Judiciary Committee announced they will be making folders for senators that will contain important information about the clubs/organizations and contact information for directors and those who would be of use on campus. These folders will be easily and readily available to senators and help new senators transition into their positions.  Involvement Committee announced that their Miss-A-Meal beneficiary will be the Oswego Food Pantry. They also revealed that they plan to place SA comment card boxes in the residence halls and academic buildings by the end of next week.

In Hall Council Reports Johnson announced that they will be changing their constitution and the changes will be presented to the residents at their next hall Council meeting. Johnson will also be selecting floor reps for each floor in their building.

Organization Reports was next on the meeting’s agenda. The African Association will be holding their annual fashion show this Friday at 6:30pm. Students from all over the state, aspiring to work in clothing design, will be given the opportunity to showcase their work. Tickets can be purchased for $5 in the Hewitt Union Box Office.

There were no special orders for the evening, therefore the meeting moved onto General Orders. The first and only general order for the evening was the proposal and voting of the African Student Association budget. The organization requested funds to help with the costs of their annual fashion show. The fashion show aims to encourage diversity and allow students to show the pieces they have worked hard on. The funds would be used to help cover the costs for the designers attending showcasing their pieces at the event. The proposed bill passed by general consent.

The meeting came to a close following the general orders for the evening. The Student Association holds their weekly meeting of the Senate Tuesdays in Lanigan 106 and 6pm. All meeting are open to the public and students are encouraged to attend to express any concerns or opinions they may have.

by Jihad Yarber

Oswego, NY- Tapestries, curtains, and flags are just a few of the items prohibited from the residence halls in Oswego State. The items are promptly confiscated if they are discovered in any of the dorms. Onondaga Assistant Hall Director Chris Lewand says wall decorations are a risk to fire safety.

“Tapestries, curtains, and flags lead to more fire hazards than your typical poster would,” he said. “However we do have restrictions on posters, they’re only allowed to be on 10 percent of the wall they’re not allowed to be within two feet of the ceilings. So there are restrictions in place, but overall it comes down to what the fire marshall has deemed to be more flammable.”

While posters are considered to be safe for students to have in their possession, some disagree with the claim that one is more hazardous than the other.

“I feel like they take up about the same amount of space on the wall and they’re made of similar flammable materials,” student Cooper Lee said. “I just don’t see how one person can specifically say how a poster is that much more safe than a tapestry,”

Other students are accepting of the rule, but also think a change in policy may lead to a better solution, feeling there needs to be more trust in the on-campus residents.

“I understand why tapestries would be not allowed in rooms,” student Julia Gaudio said. “However I think that there are many flammable things that people don’t focus on and most kids have tapestries anyway,”

“I think there’s a lot of tapestries that are hung up and there hasn’t been a fire started yet,” student Lilia Grucza said. “I feel like they just need to give us a little more credit for knowing to be safe with fire safety instead of just banning anything that could potentially start a fire.”

For more information on what items are prohibited in the dorms, visit Oswego State’s website or contact Residence Life and Housing at 315-312-2246.