By Nik Nadeau

The St. John’s Senate passed 12-5 Monday a motion proposed by Regent Nick Truso to form the Coordinate Relationship Task Force, which aims “to make recommendations to further enhance the working relationship” between the two senates.

The task force, co-chaired by Truso and St. Ben’s Senate PR Representative Marnie Anderson, will issue a document by Nov. 19 clarifying the areas in which the senates will work together and separately, how they will communicate with each other, and how they will solve inter-senate conflicts. It will also establish a permanent standing committee on the senates’ coordinate relationship.

Vice President Kurt Sorensen opposed the motion, saying it would overlap his own position and slow the Senate’s progress.

“I am open to new ideas when it comes to coordinating a relationship with (St. Ben’s Senate), ” Sorensen said. “But I’m not sure if forming another committee is exactly what we need to do in this situation. ”

Truso said the motion would help boost inter-senate relations and clarify the Vice Presidents’ role in a group-oriented fashion.

“I thought it would be more appropriate to be able to take advice and counsel from SBS and SJS to make suggestions to those VP’s in how they can be most effective, ” he said.

Slow progress

Public Relations Representative Raj Chapalkar expressed frustration at the Senate’s slow progress thus far in the semester, during a discussion on plans to renovate Brother Willie’s Pub.

“It’s almost November now and we haven’t accomplished any single one of our goals, ” he said. “That’s being conveyed by student body. ”

Chapalkar recommended that the Senate focus on the most concrete goals, including placing a heater at the Flynntown bus stop, requiring tenured faculty to review semester-end student evaluations, increasing recycling and trash containers in SJU parking lots, and propose a new layout for Sexton dining.

Special meeting to address funding

President Joe Daly called a special meeting for Monday, Oct. 29 to hear student club appeals to the Co-Funding Board (CFB). Dean of Students and St. John’s Senate adviser Michael Connolly proposed the meeting. Senator Chapalkar supported the move, saying the appeals section of the Senate by-laws says appeals must be made within two weeks of the motion’s passing.

Filed under: News, Student Senates by Justin Roth