UW-Platteville’s Student Senate passed their budget in a 10-4-5 vote Oct. 1. Senate also made an alteration to their constitution and discussed the campus diversity plan.

With the creation of the rental issues coordinator position that has been appointed to senator Mike Park, from the college of engineering, mathematics and science, the Senate had to decide how to technologically support the new position in their budget. Senate’s budget request calls for $2,000 for “a computer for the rental issues coordinator to utilize with specialized software to maintain a housing database and related information such as the Web site and publications.”

Debate started over the need for a new computer to handle the tasks of the position. Several senators questioned whether software could be added to a current computer to save money.

It would probably cost around $900 to $1,000 to add software, Business Manager Eric Hopfensperger said. QuickBooks, for example, would cost approximately $450.

Senate Liaison Rich Egley informed the Senate that there was also a laptop that had not been used for a few years that the Senate could use instead of purchasing a new computer.

This could be used, if so desired, to lower the price, Egley said. But he did not know what condition that computer was in.

No senators had knowledge of the laptop and after about an hour of discussion on what to ask for in their budget, a roll call vote was called. In a vote where 10 senators voted yes, four senators voted no,
and five abstained from the vote, the senate passed the budget as it is stated, with $2,000 being requested to fund a new computer for the rental issues coordinator position.

The money could be used to upgrade an old computer, Hopfensperger said.

The senate also made minor alterations to their constitution.

“Basically, all we are doing is adding the rental issues coordinator position,” Hopfensperger said.

In the Student Senate constitution, each executive board position is laid out and the new alterations add the rental issues position and its duties to Article III of the constitution. The senate constitution is available on the campus Web site at uwplatt.edu/org/ssenate/.

The senate also sought input on the diversity plan that is being proposed on campus. The diversity plan, which was handed out to the Senate Sept. 23, would implement a diversity of cultures into every major’s curriculum to expand cultural education.

“This would allow people to get an ethnic studies perspective as it relates to their major,” Senator Devine Nzegwu, who spoke about the plan to the Senate, said. For instance, an engineering major could take a course on African Americans in engineering.

“I think this is very important to broaden the horizons of our students and staff and to stop the ignorance that some people have,” Nzegwu said.

Students can contact their senators at 608-342-1495. The next meeting is 5 p.m. Monday, Oct. 8, in the university rooms of the Pioneer Student Center.