Marquette Student Government is preparing for several changes during the 2010-’11 academic year, including improved dining services for students and possibly the first MUSG budget that exceeds half a million dollars.
Sodexo representatives began their presentation with a recap of everything the vendor has accomplished at Marquette during the past three years. These accomplishments include the change in meal plans, renovations to the Alumni Memorial Union and the opening of World of Wings at the Union Sports Annex.
Dan Auger, Sodexo director of operations, said Marquette’s current food vendor plans to continue looking at student trends in order to upgrade and modernize residence hall dining options. Sodexo also wants to work with student groups to continue to evolve the meal plans.
In order to do this, he said Sodexo hopes to offer an organic, healthy option at Straz Tower, a 50s-style diner concept at Mashuda Hall and new designs with a more efficient operation system at McCormick Hall.
“What we don’t want to do is become stagnant,” Auger said.
The proposed budget for the 2010-’11 fiscal year was also presented. According to Mike Thiel, MUSG financial vice president, the budget includes $46,275 for administrative expenses, $153,420 for Student Organizations Allocations expenses, $16,000 for programs and services expenses and $297,355 for Program Board expenses.
The total of the proposed budget is $513,050.
MUSG adviser Jon Dooley said this is the first budget proposed by MUSG exceeding a half-million dollars. The budget for the 2009-’10 fiscal year was $497,000, according to MUSG Communications Vice President Ashley Christophersen.
One significant change in the budget is the increase in funding for the Program Board rather than SOA. Thiel said this is attributed to several factors, such as the high attendance rate at on-campus events and an increased interest in speakers. According to Thiel, 95 percent of students in a 2007 MUSG survey supported funding for on-campus events.
Thiel said he will meet with individual committees this week in order to address specific questions regarding the proposed budget. To pass, the budget requires approval of two-thirds of present senators at the April 29 senate meeting.
After presentations from Sodexo and Thiel, the senate filled several available positions.
Senator Joe Mahoney, a freshman in the College of Communication, was elected the new president pro-tempore.
Before the vote for president pro-tempore, the senate questioned both Mahoney and his opponent Adam Ryback, a sophomore in the College of Arts & Sciences, about their schedules and qualifications.
According to an MUSG press release, the president pro-tempore serves as a liaison between the legislative vice president and the student committees. One of the main responsibilities of this role is to attend all student committee meetings.
“I’m very much involved and engaged in student government,” Mahoney said. “I put 100 percent into everything I do. I know the rules and regulations, and I’m ready to rock and roll.”
The senate also selected Drew Halunen, a freshman in the College of Arts & Sciences, to serve on the Budget Committee. Kripa Shanker, a freshman in the College of Arts & Sciences, John Heflin, a sophomore in the College of Arts & Sciences and Jennifer Healy, a sophomore in the College of Health Sciences, were selected to become new Student Organization Allocation Committee members.
