Committees release surveys at Senate

Union officials released surveys to get general student opinions about minority retention and a 24-hour study lounge at last night’s weekly Union Senate meeting.

The Senate Multicultural Affairs Committee distributed newly-made surveys to find out why minorities enroll at BU, their financial aid status and living conditions. The surveys are part of a larger Union effort to increase support of Boston University’s minority population.

Union officials also released a survey to find out how many students need and want an all-night study lounge. The survey asks for student opinion on current campus studying conditions and possible locations for a 24-hour study lounge.

Senators also allocated $510 to the Mock Trial Club during the meeting. The group had requested $1,200 from the Senate, but senators cut the allocation because they said the group did not reach a large enough segment of the student population.

The allocation was one of the first of what will be a request-filled semester, Union Vice President of Financial Affairs Mike Bodek said during the meeting. The Senate spent only $2,980 from their external budget last semester, leaving $7,510 in the account before last night’s meeting. The Senate’s $400 allocation last week to the BU Green Party will not be filled because the group did not get a speaker from the Martin Luther King Center for their King commemoration this week, for which the allocation was intended.

Bodek went over the rest of the Union’s total budget at the meeting. Senators have $2,123.55 left in their internal account, which they use to pay for Senate-run events, after a $300 allocation for the Deans’ Luncheon on Mar. 26.

The external account, which the Senate distributes to student organizations who request funding, has $7,510 left after last night’s allocation to the Mock Trial Club.