The Student Association Senate approved a new paid position and the budget for the SA’s new magazine, Huskie Highlights, Sunday night.

The new position is called the Information Technology Manager and was created because of conflicts the SA has had with Information Technology Services.

“We have to wait a day or two for any immediate action or for any action on any problems that may arise from our computers,” SA Chief of Staff John Acardo said. “There are several staff members right now who haven’t been able to have their computer problems rectified in a timely fashion by ITS and they’re still suffering because of it.”

The IT manager will be paid minimum wage, which as of Jan. 1, 2003 will be $5.50 per hour for up to 20 hours per week. The maximum potential pay for the position for spring semester is $1,760.

Approval of the IT manager bypassed the regular procedures of the senate because of the cancellation of the Dec. 7 meeting.

“Once [SA President Shaun Crisler] realized that [the last fall semester senate] meeting was going to be reconsidered and potentially not held, he wrote this up and forwarded it to me because this is something we’re trying to get in the works before the start of the spring semester,” SA Senate Speaker Andrew Nelms said.

Acardo said the SA hopes to pay the position by renegotiating the SA’s contact with ITS to decrease the SA’s use of ITS’ services.

Acardo speculates that there are some minimal services that the SA still may have to contract through ITS.

“I believe [Crisler] will be seeking to find the minimal pay for ITS’ services,” Acardo said.

In addition to maintaining the computers and Internet services of the SA, the IT manager also will be responsible for assisting organizations with maintaining their Web sites, creating an online version of Huskie Highlights, and will eventually become the SA webmaster.

The senate also approved $15,717 for Huskie Highlights, bringing the total cost of student activity fees for the magazine to $33,153.35.

Crisler said a goal of the SA is to highlight student organizations, and that funding the magazine is similar to the SA’s funding of Student Legal Services.

“We offer the student body lawyers,” Crisler said. “One could easily say that’s really not part of the purpose of the SA, when it is. The goal is to protect and serve students, and that’s what this magazine will do.”

Senator Doug Reisinger said the magazine may market the SA more than organizations.

“I don’t think it’s in the scope of the SA to market or advertise for these organizations,” Reisinger said. “That’s why these organizations are given budgets, and in those budgets they are almost always allocated money for public relations.”

The SA has sent the first issue of the magazine to print, a culmination of six months of work, and expects to distribute it by the end of the semester.

“The staff has been working incredibly hard,” said Brooke Robinson, editor in chief of Huskie Highlights.

Crisler also announced at the meeting the resignation of SA Director of Mass Transportation Maurice Montgomery.