In an unsuccessful effort for the Student Association to regain university programming control, SA President Huda Scheidelman attempted to veto 20 Campus Activities Board budgets for the 1990-91 school year.

Scheidelman presented the veto, which was overridden, at the last scheduled senate meeting May 6.

“To return to student decision making on student programming which will protect students’ liberties, provide student empowerment and improve the student’s positon here at NIU, I am hereby vetoing the senate’s motions on the following budget approvals for FY 91,” stated Scheidelman’s veto explanation.

“The veto was a blatant abuse of Huda’s powers and the majority of the senate was appalled by her actions,” Senate Speaker John Fallon said.

Senators overrode the veto at an emergency senate meeting May 10. Many senators were unable to attend because of finals or having left DeKalb. For this reason, 19 new senators were appointed for the meeting, said Fallon.

Fallon said the senate “recruited students from the area,” students studying in the Pow Wow or around the student center to act as senators during the meeting to override the veto.

Scheidelman said the emergency meeting was not valid.

“Senators at the meeting made a mockery of the (SA’s) constitution, at one point in the meeting there was not a quorum,” Scheidelman said.

“We made quorum everytime there was a call for a quorum count, everything we did was legal, she (Scheidelman) made a mockery of the SA,” Fallon said.

Senator Brad Strauss said appointing 19 new senators was questionable. “The senate should have found other options” to override the veto, Strauss said.

“Given the situation, it was commendable so many people volunteered and we (NIU) have to thank them for helping to save CAB and programming on this campus,” Fallon said.

Scheidelman outlined how to lessen University Programming and Activities involvment in programming in her report to the senate, she said.

Scheidelman said coersion from the administration is inherent to CAB’s structure.

“Several students, including myself, hold the belief programming should be done by students only and that is not the case with University Programming and Activites involvment in CAB,” Scheidelman said. University Programming and Activities oversees the SA and CAB.

However, Senate Speaker John Fallon said UP&A acts soley as an advisory board and does not have final decisons on how students’ money is spent.