SA finishes semester with five bills

    p. The Student Assembly senate passed five bills covering a wide array of topics during its last session of the fall semester.

    p. The Saving Students Money and Paper Act, sponsored by Sens. Joe Luppino-Esposito ’08 and Caroline Mullis ’09, passed unanimously. The bill proposes the posting of information in Swem Library on how to print on both sides of a sheet of paper and minimizes the printing of cover sheets.

    p. “It’s pretty much a common sense thing,” Mullis said.

    p. The Ping Pong Provision for Purposeful Playing Act, sponsored by Sen. Walter McClean ’09, also passed unanimously. The bill allocates a combined $600 for the purchase of a ping pong ball dispenser that will be placed in the University Center basement. $300 will be spent on the dispenser, $150 on ping pong balls, and $150 will be spent on balls that will have the College’s logo printed on them.

    p. Balls will cost 25 cents each and McClean said that the Student Assembly will soon be profiting off of the machine. McClean also said that the SA’s capability to print on the ping pong balls could result in the selling of advertisements on the balls which would generate further revenue.

    p. “It will probably be up and running by the end of the semester,” he added.

    p. The SLS Partnership Act, sponsored by Senate Chairman Matt Beato ’09, was also passed unanimously. The bill allocates $30,000 from the consolidated reserve to pay Student Legal Services to give law advice to students. Most of the advice will be given by third-year law students under the supervision of an attorney. Before the bill the SLS was only permitted to present the law to students; now, advice can be given and third-year law students may represent students in court.

    p. Beato said that the $30,000 should last for an estimated two years, with periodic re-evaluations of the program by the SA.

    p. Beato added, “This is one of the most researched programs we’ve put through the SA.”

    p. The Protect the Freedom of Speech Act, sponsored by Sens. Michael Douglass ’11 and Ben Brown ’11, passed 14-1-4. The bill seeks to prevent the theft of newspapers from the UC entrance. When the bill was previously introduced in the senate, it was sent back to committee to gather information on the proposed security camera to be placed in the UC’s entrance. The newly revised bill proposed replacing the security camera with a sign to deter students from stealing newspapers. McClean addressed the likelihood of the sign being vandalized or stolen. “I don’t think it will work, and when it doesn’t work we’ll introduce something a little harder,” Douglass said.

    p. The Flu Shot Encouragement Act, sponsored by Sen. Ryan Eickel ’10, passed unanimously. The bill allocates $55 toward the production and distribution of informational flyers stating where, when and for how much flu shots can be obtained.

    p. Secretary of Finance Andrew Blasi ’10 also gave the monthly update of the SA’s finances. “We’re below our spending rate,” Blasi said.

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