Some campus leaders believe the Student Association makes it too easy for organizations to become SA-recognized.

James Barr, student trustee and a five-year SA veteran, addressed the Student Senate with that issue Sunday, directly after senators

approved a name change for the group previously known as Campus Outreach.

Barr explained that the group, now called Campus Christian Ministries, has a background that could have been further investigated.

SA recognition allows clubs several benefits, including the right to post fliers, make room reservations, run mailboxes, put up Web

sites and receive funding. Every year, about 200 NIU groups become SA-recognized by completing a packet that can be found in the

SA office in the Campus Life Building or downloaded from www.sa.niu.edu.

But before 1999, the Student Senate had a more careful, two-reading process before approving groups, Barr said.

“An organization would come before the senate one week and introduce themselves,” he said. “The following week, they would come

back and senate would have a vote.”

Senators once assumed that this way of reviewing clubs was a part of proper parliamentary procedure, but in 1999 they learned it was

not required by the SA Constitution, and the process eventually died out, Barr said.

“Looking back on the system, we can see the benefits,” he said.

However, SA vice president Alex Alaniz didn’t think a two-part approval system would make a difference.

“Senators have all the time they want to question organizations, but they don’t,” Alaniz said. “They just don’t care. But if the senate

believes this would help them, I would be more than willing to support it.”

Sen. Kevin Miller said he’d love to see clubs come before the senate each year for a check-up.

“Some organizations have been approved too quickly,” he said. “In some cases, there wasn’t enough research done, and some current

organizations don’t fit the requirements to be SA-recognized.”

Barr suggested that senators get more preparation.

“There is only one senator retreat, in the fall, for them to learn about the SA and meet other senators,” Barr said. “Maybe we should

hold more training sessions, or stiffen the requirements so a senator must get involved in a SA committee.”

New additions on the student organization front

Students can now log onto http://www.niucalendar.niu.edu to learn where and when

different SA recognized organizations meet.

Organizations who have not yet posted their meeting times on the site can do so at the Web site with seven steps:

1. Go to http://niucalendar.niu.edu.

2. Select the calendar you want to post to (“Student Organization Meetings”).

3. Click “view selected calendars” at the top or bottom of the page.

4. Click “submit an event” in the top right-hand corner of the page.

5. Fill in the form. Incomplete postings will not be approved. Make sure to include meeting place and contact information in the

“Description” field. (Please note: you must manually insert line breaks in the “Description” field. Text will not automatically wrap).

6. Click “submit an event” at the bottom of the screen.

7. The event then will be approved by the

SA office manager and posted on the calendar.

Questions can be directed to SA vice president Alex Alaniz at 753-0208.

Organizations wishing to become SA recognized can now download the proper forms at www.sa.niu.edu.