DeKALB | The Student Association Senate discussed plans to lobby at Springfield in November and approved an amendment to the SA Constitution, two new senators and nine new student organizations during a 5 p.m. meeting Sunday in the Holmes Student Center, Sky Room.

Lobbying trip

SA Senate Speaker Christine Wang invited senators to lobby state lawmakers in Springfield about the state budget in the beginning of November.

Senators plan to address lawmakers about funding for Monetary Award Program grants and the lack of a state budget for the second year in a row.

“One of the reasons why I want to teach you guys how to lobby is because we are about to approach our second year, full year, without a budget,” Wang said.

No date has been established for the trip.

Stipend amendment

SA Senate approved a bill to amend article two, subsection 4.C of the SA Constitution, which addresses executive branch officers receiving regular stipends even when they are ill.

Former senator Matthew Holt said at a meeting last semester the subsection brought up questions of compliance with state and federal statutes, including the Family and Medical Leave Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act. The language of the subsection was amended to comply with the statutes.

Student organization approvals

Nine student organizations were approved for temporary recognition, including the Health and Wellness Club, International Business Club and Young and Beautiful Ladies.

SA Vice President Rachel Jacob said the process of temporarily approving student organizations required an extensive amount of paperwork.

“We are basically trying to get to see how we can work to make this process [of gaining recognition] easier with these great organizations,” Jacob said.

Senator approvals

Garrett Culligan, sophomore finance and economics major, and junior finance major Edward Kim were appointed senators-at-large.

Culligan said there is a gap between student-athletes and regular students, which is represented by low attendance at athletic events. Kim said his main platform is to improve initiatives via leadership and teamwork.

“I’m really looking forward to [being] involved with my university from a leadership standpoint and making a difference,” Culligan said.

SA Senate meetings are 5 p.m. Sundays in the Holmes Student Center, Sky Room, and are open to the public.