Although the primary issue on the agenda for Tuesday night’s Student Committee on Political Action meeting was the preparations for a political awareness festival, the item of debate that refused to die was weather or not SCOPA’s actions represent those of NIU’s student body.

The question of who SCOPA represents was strong enough to be drawn into every item on the agenda and caused the Holmes Student Center Governance issue to be delayed until the next meeting.

Student Association Senator Jim Valentine said past SCOPA activities have hurt the credibility of the SA.

SA Vice President Gregg Bliss said no one is trying to eliminate SCOPA, but SCOPA seemingly “wants to be supported and funded by the SA but not responsible to the SA.”

The committee made preliminary plans for a political awareness festival in conjunction with the non-partisan, nation-wide bus tour to promote voter education. The tour is sponsored by the United States Student Association and is scheduled to arrive at NIU, Friday, Oct. 14 at 6 p.m.

SCOPA Co-chairman Mike Goldstein said the USSA voter education theme can be localized at NIU by emphasizing the higher education budget cuts.

Details surrounding the festival are in the programming stages, but everyone present agreed about the importance of the festival and the difficulties the festival faces in competing for the student body’s attention with other weekend activities.

Mass Transit Board Adviser Dave Emerick said there is a possibility the Huskie Bus’s might be used to “mobilize” the event in order to increase student’s involvement.

However, debate surounded the festival’s purpose of being voter educational and non-partisan.

“Everyone knows they have the right to vote,” said SCOPA member Julie Stege. SCOPA member Jim Fabris said people “either choose to vote or choose not to vote.”

In other business, SCOPA Co-chairman Rene Lilly told the committee a court date is scheduled for Sept. 30 for students arrested during the Day of Action II on April 13. The status hearing will be held in the DeKalb Municipal Building to review the status of the charges, Goldstein said.

Valentine said SCOPA should not take a stand on the court date issue because there might be a conflict of interest since some members of the committee were arrested on the Day of Action II.