The Under Graduate Student Government began setting up for the April elections last week with only a few sign ups. The USG Elections Chair, Paul Valencia, has decided to move the closing of the nominations by a week. Nominations for the upcoming year’s E-board members will close next week Wednesday, March 24, at 5:00 p.m.
“Because of the few sign-ups, I think it would be best to move the entire elections schedule by week,” says Paul Valencia. “This should give us time to receive more applicants and more time to organize.”
Student voting will begin on April 1 at 9:00 a.m. and will close on April 5 at 11:59 p.m. On April 7, the election results will be presented during the USG meeting that day which will be held at 7:00 p.m.
Positions are divided up into two different branches; executive and legislative. Open positions in the executive administration for next year include president, vice president, secretary, and treasury. In the legislative organization, students may run as an executive officer or as a representative. Four of the nominees will be chosen by electors for the position of executive officer and six students from each class as representatives; senior, junior, sophomore, and freshman.
Requirements and roles for each position will vary. The president presides over all USG meetings and serves as the lead speaker of all meetings. The vice president assists the president in carrying out assignments and other responsibilities. These assignments include the management of committees and the taking up of the president’s roles should they be absent. The treasurer manages and organizes the budget for the organization. They also give suggestions about spending procedures during meetings. The secretary records minutes, schedules and informs members of meetings, and sends out important notices.
Representatives and officers have the responsibility of attending the general meetings which are held every Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. They must also sit on at least two committees as put out by the committee chairs. Lastly, members must attend two office hours per week for the organization.
Candidates must hold a minimum 2.00 cumulative grade point average in order to be considered for nomination. A typed biography will also be required of each candidate by Mar. 25 at 5:00 p.m. There will be four brief questions that each candidate will be required to answer within their bio that will display their interests and goals within USG. Candidates are required to attend a meeting where they will submit their papers to the current USG officers.The meeting will highlight the rules and guidelines for the elections.
Officers will speak about campaigning and ballot requirements amongst other things. Pictures of all canidates will be taken at the gathering.

Michigan Tech is currently reviewing campus parking policies and hopes to remind students of current procedures before winter puts a further crunch on parking.
“The President of the University has formed a Parking Task Force,” said Dan Bennett, director of Public Safety and Police Services. “Public Safety and Police Services does provide a brochure containing parking rules and regulations [in our office].”
The Parking Task Force is being chaired by Ellen Horsch, vice president of Administration. The panel consists of 11 members and includes University staff and both undergraduate and graduate students.
According to the charge put forth by President Glenn D. Mroz, the panel is to “review and evaluate the current University parking registration and enforcement system” and to “make appropriate changes to best suit the needs of the institution.” Some of the tasks being addressed include the functionality and effectiveness of existing parking gates, current parking ticket violations and associated fines, the possibility of creating an appeals process for contested parking citations that will be efficient and effective and establishing collection procedures for persons delinquent in paying their parking citations.
The Parking Task Force will be looking at nine issues in total and is expected to complete their recommendations by Jan. 1, 2010.
“Right now, we are meeting weekly, with sub committees also meeting weekly, until January when the Task Force is instructed to present their findings to President Mroz,” said Bennett. According to Horsch, the Task Force has only met twice since its creation and, consequently, has no findings to report at this time.
The meetings are currently not open to the public. Any student with a concern is instructed to contact Bennett directly either by email or by stopping into the Public Safety and Police Services office. Bennett can be reached by email at dpbennet@mtu.edu
In an effort to make the current parking policies more readily accessible to students, Public Safety and Police Services is currently working with Marketing Services to change their Web site. “One of the planned changes is to have a parking section with updated information,” said Bennett.
Information regarding the University’s current parking policies can be obtained online at publicsafety.mtu.edu or in the Public Safety and Police Services office. The panel’s final recommendations and any subsequent changes will be published in the Lode following the final meeting.

Last Wednesday, participants organized by Taxed Enough Already Concerned Citizens of the UP gathered at the Houghton County Court House for a demonstration coinciding with others around the country rallying against financial policies of the state and federal government. A number of picket signs conveyed disagreement with the recently-passed stimulus bill and policies of the Obama administration.

Read the full story

As Undergraduate Student Government executive board elections wrap up, details of a controversy within the organization have emerged. Processes to impeach the USG Treasurer have recently been discussed according to sources within USG who wish to remain anonymous, as they are still active within the organization. However, after a review of the allegations and lengthy discussions within USG, the issue has been resolved and no further action will be pursued, according to Amanda Van Slooten, USG President.

Read the full story

What is the primary focus of USG?
USG’s primary focus is to provide a voice of the Students needs at Michigan Technological University.

Read the full story

After a long career of campus service, Shahrzad “Shazoo” Rizvi has stepped down as President of the Michigan Tech Undergraduate Student Government. His resignation was accepted by the USG body last Wednesday after a scheduling conflict arose within his final semester.
“It is just really unfortunate that I cannot complete my entire term as elected president, but I have exhausted all options and this is what is best for USG,” said Rizvi the day after the decision was made. “What it is a class schedule conflict.”
“I discussed it with my officers and they felt it was important that the president be at meetings and chair. Our constitution requires that I preside over the general body.” said Rizvi, “I wanted to define ‘preside’ as having authority over it, but not necessarily chair. My officers wanted to define it as chair and the general body agreed and chose to accept my resignation.”
Due to the acceptance of Rizvi’s resignation, the USG vice president, Amanda Van Slooten, will step into the Presidency. She brings a wealth of leadership experience to the position, including several semesters with USG. Van Slooten was not immediately available for comment.

Read the full story

USG Minutes 01/14/2009

Money Matters
The CRT budget revision was accepted to include Internet charges, and several pre-approved reimbursements to various student organizations were also accepted.

Read the full story

The scene on Tuesday was one notable for the amount of pomp and circumstance. In Washington, people lined up as far away as the Washington Monument to be a part of the swearing in of our new Commander in Chief, President Barack H. Obama. After hearing a speech by Senator Dianne Feinstein, the opening invocation by Pastor Rick Warren of the Saddleback Church, and the performance of “My Country ‘Tis of Thee” by Motown recording artist Aretha Franklin, the oaths were administered. First, Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens gave the oath to Vice President Joseph R. Biden of Delaware.
After a performance organized by composer John Williams and including musicians Itzhak Perlman and Yo-Yo-Ma, Chief Justice John G. Roberts, nervously presiding over his first Presidential oath of office, administered the oath to our new President.
Unfortunately, the day did not go off without a hitch. Two Democratic politicians, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass) and Robert C. Byrd (D-W.Va.) left Barack Obama’s inaugural luncheon at the Capitol with health issues. Kennedy suffered a seizure while eating, requiring the use of a stretcher to remove him from the room. Byrd was cited having been extremely agitated at the falling of his Democratic colleague and adjourned to his office.
I’ve been commenting on politics for a few years. Fortunately, nowadays, I’m paid for my opinion. Needless to say, it’s something I have a mild interest in, seemingly ingrained within myself due to people within my family and life. It must be said that the pomp and circumstance surrounding the inauguration of Obama may not be matched in any other political event in my lifetime. Naturally, reality will eventually set in on our nation, as huge problems face our nation. But on Inauguration Day, this is a day of celebration. This has been repeated ad nauseum throughout the leading up to Tuesday, but it really is a testament to our democracy that we can come together as one people to celebrate the changing of the guard. President Obama, in his speech, certainly did nothing to suggest that things won’t change at least mildly in Washington.
“One this day,” Obama said, addressing the need for bipartisanship in Washington, “we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.” Obama wasn’t necessarily short on detail in instances either. “The state of the economy call for action, swift and bold, and we will act,” said Obama, “The nation asks for action and action now.” Naturally, he’s referring to the huge stimulus package that he’s trying to get from Congress.
Another big point raised by Obama in his speech is the way America conducts its foreign policy. He spoke very strongly about this issue and left a very stern warning for those nations who are hostile towards the cause of freedom, while at the same time, reaching out to ordinary practitioners of Islam worldwide.
“To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect,” said Obama. “To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict or blame their society’s ills on the West — know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.”

Read the full story

One of Michigan Tech’s fast-growing, more promising Enterprises right now is Nanotech Innovations. They are small, but they are working on interesting research that is pertinent in many different fields.

Read the full story

Money Matters:
• The Inter-Christian Council was permitted to use part of their budget on printing costs totaling $80.10. The Pistol Club was also able to use their budget for printing costs from their $500 allocation, and they were reimbursed $46.13. Disco Tech, the ultimate Frisbee club, was reimbursed $175 as well for tournament fees.

Read the full story