By
Maya Schechter
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Tonight's first spring Senate meeting will make changes in ASUA bylaws
After a month's vacation, ASUA members have resumed their regular schedules, including preparing for tonight's Senate meeting and helping campus clubs earn money for fundraising.
The Associated Students of the University of Arizona Senate tonight will vote on bylaws changes affecting both the Senate and FACES sections of the ASUA Constitution.
FACES - Freshmen Active in Campus Events and Services - is a program established last fall to help freshmen become more involved in student government. Its bylaws were created at the first Senate meeting of the school year in September, but minor changes will be made tonight.
ASUA Executive Vice President Erick Negri said the bylaws would not be changed in any major way, but would simply be altered to clarify the wording in the FACES mission and the duties of its officers.
"The changes in the bylaws reflect what went right and wrong in FACES, and how to modify it to fit into reality," Negri said. "FACES is definitely a positive program and it helped out a lot of areas in ASUA."
In other ASUA business, a fundraising grant has been introduced to UA clubs and organizations. President Ben Graff said he is pleased to give the money to a group that deserves it.
When Graff was executive vice president last year, he had hoped to help clubs make money, but he found that the groups needed some start-up money to even begin making a profit.
Graff said he then began thinking of ways to help the clubs, and contacted DM Federal Credit Union - which has sponsored past ASUA programs - and came up with a $1,000 grant, which will be awarded to one UA-recognized organization.
"If a club can come up with a creative and innovative idea for a fundraiser, we will give them the money to help them out financially," Graff said.
Any student club, organization, greek house or residence hall may apply, but the fundraising event must include the entire UA campus, Graff said.
"It can't just be a car wash or a bake sale," Graff said, because those ideas have already been used.
"The event has to benefit the entire university community - to educate and entertain all students," he added.
Graff said the club which is awarded the grant will receive a 100 percent profit, since members will have $1,000 to plan their program and should not have to spend any of their own money.
Graff also said that he hopes to see this grant continue in the future, with the continued help of DM Federal Credit Union.
Applications for the grant are due Jan. 29, and Graff said the decision will be made by a committee including himself, ASUA club advocates, appropriations board members, and the cabinet.
Maya Schechter can be reached at Maya.Schechter@wildcat.arizona.edu
